DMS Graduate Student Seminar

Speaker: Le Chen, Auburn University 

Title: Disorderly Surface Growth

Abstract: In this talk, we will introduce the surface growth phenomenon in a disordered system. Examples include the wetting, burning, and rupture of paper, the accumulations of snowflakes, as well as the growths of crystal and tumor. Despite the apparent diversity in these processes, their surface fluctuations exhibit some universal characteristics. Stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs), in particular, the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation, are the main mathematical tool to capture these universal features, which then provide the universality classes that go beyond the central limit theorem. The significance of this field of research is underscored by the prestigious accolades awarded to its pioneers, including Giorgio Parisi (the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2021) and Martin Hairer (the Fields Medal in 2014), among many others. This talk aims to serve as both an overview of SPDEs in the context of disordered surface growth and as a source of inspiration for students considering a Ph.D. in this exciting field. The main reference of this talk is the book by two physicists Barabási and Stanley, Fractal Concepts in Surface Growth, Cambridge University Press, 1995.