Welcome Carlos
Carlos Lange Bassani joined the group as a postdoctoral researcher. He will be conducting research on porous materials using multiscale simulation. Welcome!
Pressure wave from Tonga eruption
On January 15, 2022 at 04:15h UTC (05:15h Berlin time CET), an M 5.8 volcanic eruption occurred on Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, an uninhabited volcanic island of the Tongan archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. The eruption was one of the largest underwater volcanic eruption in decades. The explosion was so massive it sent shockwaves around the world.
More than half a day later, we measured the air pressure wave in Erlangen, first as a compression wave of amplitude 1.4 hPa at 20:32h CET and then as a decompression wave of amplitude -0.7 hPa at 02:32h CET. The second wave traveled in opposite direction and took a few hours longer to reach Erlangen.
Pretty awesome how our two simple barometric pressure sensors can clearly detect major volcanic events around the globe!
Chromatography Simulation Tool
For the outreach event “Gscheid Schlau”, Navid Panchi, Nydia Varela Rosales, and Federico Tomazic developed an interactive applet that allows experiencing how chromatography works. Play with different parameters to improve separation efficiency!
Further information is found in the video here.
Check out the simulation tool here:
Chromatography Simulation Tool
PhD defense Chrameh
Fru Mbah Chrameh defended his thesis and obtained a PhD in Engineering. The title of his thesis is: “Numerical simulation of colloidal self–assembly in spherical confinement: From kinetics and thermodynamics to photonic colour”.
Congratulations!
Group Excursion 2021
This year we finally had another group excursion. We went hiking and did Via Ferrata climbing near Hirschbach in the Hersbrucker Alb. Great fun!
PhD defense Marco
Marco Klement defended his thesis and obtained a PhD in Physics. The title of his thesis is: “Computational Studies of Anisotropic Particles”.
Congratulations!
Beyond the constraints of chemistry
This look at the geometry of crystals beyond the constraints of chemistry accomplished by computer simulation has been 8+ years in the making:
“Which crystal structures are possible if the restrictions of the quantum realm are lifted? Our knowledge of ordered particle geometries was previously restricted to the kinds of structures observable in hard condensed matter—on the atomic scale. Here, we use freely tunable computational models to represent particles with variable properties, and we determine the crystal structures into which they self-assemble. The resulting arrangements often correspond to structures known from atomic-scale materials; however, we discover a comparable number of previously unknown crystal structures with different local coordination motifs, incompatible with the limitations of the chemical bond. Our results can be used to engineer soft condensed matter with unprecedented, ordered geometries, paving the way toward materials with potentially novel properties.”
Read this work here:
Julia Dshemuchadse, Pablo F. Damasceno, Carolyn L. Phillips, Michael Engel, Sharon C. Glotzer
Moving Beyond the Constraints of Chemistry via Crystal Structure Discovery with Isotropic Multiwell Pair Potentials
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, e2024034118 (2021)
What microrobots have in common with soap
You need soap to remove dirt from your skin. The surfactant molecules it contains squeeze their way into the surface area between the dirt and the skin and help to dissolve the dirt in water. Researchers at FAU and Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (HHU) have observed the same phenomenon with rotating microrobots. Microrobots rotating in a clockwise direction separate from those rotating in an anticlockwise direction to form two cohesive groups clearly separated from each other, just like water and oil. By linking the microrobots to make chains, researchers were able to observe various effects: the chains are capable of mixing the groups and acting like surfactants to create new structures, the same as what happens with soap and soap bubbles.
Read about this work here:
Christian Scholz, Anton Ldov, Thorsten Pöschel, Michael Engel, Hartmut Löwen
Surfactants and Rotelles in Active Chiral Fluids
Science Advances 7, abf8998 (2021)
Highlighted in: FAU Research
Geometry & Packing seminar series
A new virtual seminar series called GEOMPACK (geompack.com) aims to bring together researchers from a range of disciplines (physics, materials, biology, mathematics, computer science). The series focuses on problems in geometry and packing in materials and biology, and provides an avenue to share new research and promote discussion.
Seminars will take place in spring every two weeks and are scheduled for Wednesdays at 4:30 pm (London time). The first seminar will be Wednesday, March 24, from Sabetta Matsumoto (GA Tech), “Twisted topological tangles or: the knot theory of knitting”.
Other speakers this semester are Marjolein Dijkstra (Universiteit Utrecht), Sasche Hilgenfeldt (University of Illinois), Lisa Manning (Syracuse University), Vinothan Manoharan (Harvard University), and Giuliana Indelicato (University of York).
To see the line up of speakers and to subscribe to the seminar announcements, visit geompack.com.
National center for high performance computing
FAU will receive funds to establish a National Center for High Performance Computing (NHR@FAU). It will be part of a nationwide network with (initially) seven other centers. The federal and state governments will provide a total of up to 625 million € in funding for the entire project over the next 10 years. Scientific support for broad application groups, promoting the further development of HPC techniques and tools, and training and education activities will also be funded in addition to HPC systems and operating costs.
This is very exciting news for all computationally working research groups in Erlangen. Congratulations to everybody involved!
Read more about this development here.