Statistical mechanics of complex systems and glass transition

We are interested in a number of problems related to the statistics and dynamics of complex systems ranging from molecular liquids to assemblies of biomolecules. Common to these systems is a complex energy landscape, with a high density of local minima. Complex relaxation patterns and uncommon activated kinetics follow from system’s exploration of the energy landscape by thermal agitation. Many of such problems cannot be described by canonical ensembles and the statistics of non-equilibrium ensembles is required. The related problems are ergodicity breaking and theoretical formalisms to describe the nonergodic activated kinetics.

 

Publications:

  • "Protein electron transfer: is biology (thermo)dynamic", D. V. Matyushov, "Topical review" J. Phys.: Condens. Matter (preprint)
  • "Nonergodic activated kinetics in polar media", D. V. Matyushov, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 164522 (2009)
  • "Model energy landscapes of low-temperature fluids: Dipolar hard spheres", D. V. Matyushov, Phys. Rev. E 76, 011511 (2007)
  • "Gaussian excitations model for glass-former dynamics and thermodynamics", D. V. Matyushov and C. A. Angell, J. Chem. Phys. 126, 094501 (2007) 
    

Dynamically Restricted Ensemble