Dimitris Achlioptas (UC Santa Cruz) On the solution space geometry of random CSPs For a number of random constraint satisfaction problems, such as random k-SAT and random graph coloring, we now have excellent estimates of the largest constraints-to-variables ratio for which they have solutions. These estimates imply that all known polynomialtime algorithms stop finding solutions much before sol...

The properties of iron under extreme conditions are intensively studied [1] due to its relevance for geophysical models of the earth’s interior. From a more general point of view, the behaviour of bcc iron under compression is interesting since almost half of the elements contain the bcc structure in their phase diagram. The phonon dispersion of bcc elements was studied in the past in search of...

At high temperatures or densities, hadronic matter shows different forms of critical behaviour: colour deconfinement, chiral symmetry restoration, and diquark condensation. I first discuss the conceptual basis of these phenomena and then consider the description of colour deconfinement in terms of symmetry breaking, through colour screening and as percolation transition.

The transport properties of a quantum mechanical system coupled to an environment deviate sharply from those of the isolated system when the coupling exceeds a critical value. This effect is governed by a quantum phase transition, which takes place because the environment suppresses quantum fluctuations. This paper explains why dissipation leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking at T = 0, and ho...

Symmetry restoration processes during the non-equilibrium stage of “preheating” after inflation is studied. It is shown that symmetry restoration is very efficient when the majority of created particles are concentrated at energies much smaller than the temperature T in equilibrium. The strength of symmetry restoration measured in terms of the equivalent temperature can exceed T by many orders ...

The sequence of phase transitions during the hot history of the universe is followed within a phenomenological framework. Particular emphasis is put on the QCD confinement transition, which is at reach under earth laboratory conditions. A tepid inflationary scenario on the GUT scale with bubble growth at moderate supercooling is discussed.

Phase transitions which occur at zero temperature when some non-thermal parameter like pressure, chemical composition or magnetic field is changed are called quantum phase transitions. They are caused by quantum fluctuations which are a consequence of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. These lecture notes give a pedagogical introduction to quantum phase transitions. After collecting a few basi...

We are concerned with the structural stability of dynamic phase changes occurring across sharp interfaces in a multidimensional van der Waals uid. Such phase transitions can be viewed as propagating discontinuities. However, they are usually subsonic, thus violating the Lax criterion. The lacking information lies in an additional jump condition, which is rather simple in the case of reversible ...

Prompt deliquescence and efflorescence of aerosol nanoparticles G. Biskos, D. Paulsen, L. M. Russell, P. R. Buseck, and S. T. Martin Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA Departments of Geological Sciences and Chemistry/Biochemistry, Arizona State...