Project description
Unlocking the universal laws of non-equilibrium physics
In nature, most systems exist out of equilibrium, constantly exchanging energy or matter with their surroundings. While equilibrium physics is well understood, universal laws for systems far from equilibrium remain a major scientific challenge. The ERC-funded UniCIPS project addresses this gap by investigating interacting particle systems, the ‘hydrogen atoms’ of non-equilibrium physics. Building on recent breakthroughs in which complex many-body dynamics were reduced to simple single-body equations, UniCIPS aims to unveil universal laws for general particle transport. The project will provide conceptual tools to analyse complex dynamics, and its findings are expected to shed light on long-standing challenges in statistical physics. Overall, this will advance researchers’ understanding of how matter and information flow in the universe.
Objective
An open system out of equilibrium exchanges matter, energy, or information with its surroundings through directed currents that break time-reversal symmetry. Far from equilibrium, the arrow of time becomes crucial. While equilibrium physics is well explained by statistical physics, understanding non-equilibrium systems is a major challenge in modern physics. Do universal laws exist far from equilibrium? How can complex systems’ dynamics be characterized?
Interacting particle systems (IPS), driven by external fields or prepared with an initial inhomogeneous density profile, are the “hydrogen atom” of non-equilibrium physics. Very recently, we have made important progress for the Symmetric Exclusion Process (SEP), a paradigmatic model of one-dimensional IPS, and showed by relying on a novel approach that this many-body dynamics in fact reduces to a simple single-body exact closed equation for the correlations, which can be solved explicitly. Beyond the particular case of the SEP, this striking but puzzling result changes our views and opens new horizons in the analysis of IPS by reducing them to single-body problems. Unveiling the corresponding universal closed equation for correlations in general IPS, along with the underlying theoretical framework of non-equilibrium statistical physics, is the objective of this project. The achievability of this challenging task is supported by promising recent developments both for diffusive systems (which obey Fick’s law) and for ballistic systems. These results will provide explicit characterization of transport properties in general IPS, conceptually new tools to analyse interacting particle systems and finally resolve the long-standing challenge of formulating a general framework for non-equilibrium statistical physics.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 Paris
France
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