Speaker: Peter Constantin
Title: Particles and Fluids
Affiliation: University of Chicago
Date: Friday, March 7, 2008
Place and Time: Room 101, Love Building, 3:15-4:15 pm
Refreshments: Room 204, Love Building, 3:00 pm

Abstract. The thermodynamical equilibrium of interacting complex particles is described by a simple free energy in a complicated space. The resulting equation, the Onsager equation, has been analyzed in a few cases. A kinetic description of the time evolution has also been analyzed and leads to nontrivial dynamics when the particles are transported by fluids. The dynamics of the system, where the particles add stresses to the fluids lead to Nonlinear Fokker Planck equations coupled to Navier Stokes equations. These equations present a number of opportunities and many challenges. I will try to present some of them.