Conferences  >  Physics  >  Condensed Matter Physics and Materials  >  Netherlands

Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation

In the last few years, van der Waals heterostructures have emerged as a very versatile platform for engineering complex correlated electronic phases. In this sense, they represent an alternative, solid state-based route to simulation of quantum many-body physics, complementing other approaches such as cold atomic systems. The goal of the workshop “Simulating quantum matter with quantum matter” is to bring together leading experts in the field of van der Waals heterostructures in order to scrutinize which questions in correlated matter have been successfully addressed, to discuss the current challenges, and future directions to go. The talks will be organized into four strongly intertwined topics – superconductivity, magnetism, topology, and quantum criticality – and a significant time will be reserved for guided and informal discussions. We anticipate writing a roadmap article with all participants, which will provide an overview of the status of the field, the leading results, and open questions.

Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation

Self-driven or active polymers and filaments are ubiquitous in biology across length scales, from chromatin in the nucleus to cytoskeletal filaments such as actin and microtubules, and from motile filamentous cyanobacteria to macroscopic worms. Inspired by these systems, synthetic analogs such as biomimetic robotic worms and robotic grippers or active materials based on cytoskeletal filaments have been developed. These systems display diverse structural and dynamic behaviors, both individually and collectively: examples include spiral and helical conformations, vortex formation in motor-driven microtubules, coexisting ordered states in actin-myosin networks, morphogenesis of cyanobacterial colonies during blooms, dynamical neural-motor loops in C. elegans, and emergent collective locomotion in worm blobs.

This workshop will bring together leading scientists from multiple fields to identify common features of active filament systems, clarify the mechanisms driving their self-organization, and define overarching open questions.