Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
Contents - Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
climatedata.Finally,PeterTalknerdemonstratedaninterestingextensionofthecommonfirst-passage<br />
calculustononstationarysituationswithtime-dependenttransitionrates. Insummary,theworkshop<br />
gaveastimulatingstate-of-the-artreviewofvariousapplicationsinvolvingthedynamicsofnonlinear<br />
stochasticsystems.<br />
Fluctuation-InducedForcesinCondensedMatter,Workshop<br />
Scientificcoordinators:S.Dietrich,A.Gambassi<br />
Fluctuation-inducedeffectiveforcesemergewheneverafluctuatingmediumisperturbedbythepresence<br />
ofimmersedobjects. Examplesofsuchforcescanbefoundinratherdifferentcontextsrangingfrom<br />
physicsandphysicalchemistrytobiology. Themainfocusoftheworkshopwastoexploreanddiscuss<br />
analogies and differences among these various manifestations, with particular emphasis on unifying<br />
theoreticalandexperimentalapproaches. Bridgingthegapamongdifferentcommunitiesinterestedin<br />
suchforcesandexploringpossibleapplicationswereamongthemainmotivationsofthemeeting. In<br />
ordertoachievethisgoaltheworkshopgatheredleadingtheoreticians(25)andexperimentalists(12)<br />
whodeliveredtalksonvarioustopicsaswellasanumber(9)ofinvitedseniororjuniorscientistsand<br />
severalapplicants(20). Acomprehensiveoverviewofthemultifacetednatureoffluctuation-induced<br />
forceswaspresentedintheWorkshopColloquiumbyMehranKardar,arenownedandleadingcontributor<br />
tothefield. Thetopicswhichtheexperimentalandtheoreticaltalksdealtwithincludevan-der-Waals<br />
andCasimirforces,therelatedphenomenonofwetting,solvationandcriticalCasimirforces,forces<br />
induced by fluctuations of interfaces or within fluctuating membranes, effective forces in confined<br />
equilibriumandnon-equilibriumsystems,depletioninteractionsincolloidalsuspensionsandtheirrole<br />
in biological systems, dynamics of fluctuation-induced forces and their applications in soft matter<br />
systems, forces induced by charge fluctuations and related phenomena etc. Important issues such<br />
asthegeometry-dependenceofsuchforcesandthenon-trivialassociatedmanybodyeffects,aswell<br />
astheemergenceofuniversalasymptoticbehaviorshavealsobeendiscussedinthelightofrecent<br />
advancesintheoreticalandexperimentaltechniques,someofwhichwerereportedduringtheworkshop.<br />
Virtuesandlimitationsofthevariousanalytical,numerical,andexperimentalapproachesforstudying<br />
suchforcesindifferentcontextswerealsodiscussedindetail. Therewasavigorousresponseofthe<br />
scientificcommunityforbeingpartofthisworkshop. Onsite,theparticipationintheworkshopwas<br />
veryactiveandenthusiastic,asdemonstratedbythelivelyandcollegialdiscussionswhichfollowedeach<br />
talkorduringthepostersessionaswellasinthefreetime. Themeetingprovidedalsoanoccasion<br />
forestablishingpersonalcontactsinviewoffuturecollaborationsandforstrengtheningexistingones.<br />
Itwasverypleasingtoseeasizablegroupofyoungscientiststakingpartintheworkshop. Alasting<br />
impactofthismeetingisexpectedtobethattheratherdiversesubdisciplinesofthisresearcharea<br />
developacommonlanguageandamutualunderstandingofthecommonbasisoftheirresearch. In<br />
addition,theworkshopshowedthattheintensivetheoreticaleffortsattractnowanincreasingnumberof<br />
sophisticatedandpowerfulexperimentalstudies.Thispointstowardsverypromisingfuturedevelopments.<br />
Spike-FrequencyAdaptioninNeuralSystems,FocusWorkshop<br />
Scientificcoordinators:B.Lindner,J.Benda<br />
TheWorkshopbroughttogetherexpertsworkingonthevariousaspectsofspike-frequencyadaptation<br />
(SFA).Amongtheparticipantswereinternationallyrenownedresearchers, as, forexample, Fabrizio<br />
Gabbiani,SimonLaughlin,DavidMcAlpine,AlexanderNeiman,andKlausObermayer. Theprogram<br />
consistedofeightsessionseachbeingdevotedtoaspecifictopicofadaptation,includingspecificsensory<br />
modalities (auditory, visual, and electrosensory systems), effects of particular adaptation properties<br />
(sub-vs. suprathresholdcurrents,stochasticadaptation,multipleadaptationtimescales). Twolively<br />
postersessionsandoneflash-talksessionfosteredtheactiveinvolvementofyoungerresearchers(PhD<br />
studentsandPostdocs)intotheworkshopprogram. ComputationaladvantagesanddrawbacksofSFA<br />
inthemulti-stagedmammalianauditorysystemwereaddressedbyDavidMcAlpine.KaiHildebrandtand<br />
MartinNawrotdiscussedsimilarissuesincomparablysimpleinvertebratesystems-theauditorysystem<br />
ofthegrasshopperandtheinsectolfactorypathway. Thesetalksillustratedthecomplexdemands<br />
onadaptationprocessesinsensorysystems. ThetalkbyMauriceChacronaddressedexperimentally<br />
theseveredifferencesintheeffectofsub-andsuprathresholdadaptationcurrentsontheinformation<br />
transferofaneuronintheelectrosensorylinelobeoftheweaklyelectricfish.Feedbackandadaptation<br />
inthelatterneuronswerealsothetopicofJohnLewis,whorelatedtheirperformancetobehavioral<br />
142 DetailsandData
Change language