Physics 797S - ST- Topics in Soft Matter

Soft matter physics is the study of materials that are literally soft and squishy: polymers, colloids, foam, membranes, droplets and soap bubbles are a few examples. The goal of this course is to explore topics in soft matter that play an important role in many areas of physics, engineering and biology. We will study and review concepts in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, interfacial mechanics, fluid dynamics, and transport phenomena as they apply to soft matter. In addition to exploring the fundamentals, the effort will also be to develop a research perspective on the subject.

Prerequisites: PHYSICS 601, 602 and 606.