Speaker: Prof. Nikolai V. Brilliantov
Date: 6 July 2017
Time: 13:30-15:00
Room: 403
SEMINAR ABSTRACT:
Nikolai Brilliantov
I will start from molecular systems, namely polyelectrolytes in electric field under load. I will discuss the prototypes of polyelectrolyte-based nano-devices, such as nano-vices, nano-pumps and nano-valves, which may play an important role in future nano-technology, and problems of the engineering implementation of these devices. I will discuss a couple of associated problems and will demonstrate how the macroscopic concept of solid friction transforms at nano-scales. Then I will discuss how the problems of polyelectrolytes in electric fields under load are related to the macroscopic problem of the reduction of the inter-surface friction.
Next, I will present a few examples where an adequate description of a phenomenon requires a multi-scale analysis, covering many space and time scales and show how the macro-scales processes emerge from the microscopic dynamics. This will be illustrated on the exciting astrophysical phenomena, like icy geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Saturn’s Rings and granular gases in space. Then I will discuss the possible ways of practical application of micro-macro relations, obtained by the kinetic theory, to the challenges of urban traffic and pedestrian dynamics in concourses.
SPEAKER INTRODUCTION:
I have graduated Dept.of Physics of the Moscow State University (MSU), where I continued the postgraduate studies, receiving a PhD in 1984. In 1999, I received from MSU the Doctor of Science degree. I was working in MSU in 1989-1995. In 1995-1997, I was a PDRA and Lecturer at the Dept. of Chemistry of the University of Toronto (Canada). In 1998-2007 I was working as a Senior and Leading Researcher in MSU and as a Researcher in the Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Potsdam (Germany). I had Max-Planck Fellowships in 1993 and 2000. In 2001, I was a visiting professor at the Dept. of Physics of the University of Barcelona (Spain). From 2007 I am working at the Dept. of Mathematics of the University of Leicester (UK), and from 2009 till now, as a Full Professor, Chair in Applied Mathematics.
I have published 3 books, and more than 120 papers, including 2 articles in Nature, article in Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA and 7 articles in Phys. Rev. Lett. I was on the Editorial Board of Phys. Rev. Lett. (2011-2016), a distinguished referee for Europhys. Lett. (2012), an invited Editor of a special issue of Math. Model. of Natural Phenomena (2011) and a member of Scientific Committee of the international conference “Discrete Simulations of Fluid Dynamics” (2001-2013). My papers have over 4000 citations (Google Scholar); h-index is 32, i-10-index is 62. Our research results got a wide positive pressure coverage, including articles in newspapers, like “The New York Times” (2008, 2011), “Guardian” (2014), “Daily Mail” (2015), “Huffington Post” (2015), “Telegraph” (2015) and other; in the broadcast: BBC (2009) and Russian TV (2015).
