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Current status of statistical mechanics in Armenia Armen Allahverdyan (Yerevan Physics Institute)

Current status of statistical mechanics in Armenia Armen Allahverdyan (Yerevan Physics Institute) -- Introduction: subject of statistical mechanics -- Stat mech/thermodynamics of (small) engines -- Interdisciplinary stat mech: evolution theory

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Current status of statistical mechanics in Armenia Armen Allahverdyan (Yerevan Physics Institute)

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  1. Current status of statistical mechanics in Armenia Armen Allahverdyan (Yerevan Physics Institute) -- Introduction: subject of statistical mechanics -- Stat mech/thermodynamics of (small) engines -- Interdisciplinary stat mech: evolution theory -- Biological stat mech: presentation by E. Mamasakhlisov

  2. Statistical mechanics: Explain macroscopic (many-body) regularities from microscopic concepts Predict new macroscopic effects Tools: classical or quantum mechanics + probability theory and statistics Experiments: engineering thermodynamics, cond-mat, biophysics Statistical physics in Yerevan Physics Institute : 4 groups Method of presentation: focus on 1 important scientific questions for each subject Drawbacks: no focus on answers; activities are not fully covered

  3. Frequent structure of theoretical physics working group in Armenia: 1 researcher + PhD student(s) + western-eastern collaborators • 1. Statistical mechanics of (small) heat engines • A. Allahverdyan (YerPhi), • K. Hovhannisyan (former PhD in YerPhi, now postdoc in Barcelona) • W. Deng (PhD student, France) Support: Volkswagenstiftung (2007-2010), NSF-USA (2008-2012) DARPA (2012-…) RRS-(Pays de la Loire, France) (2011-2013) PCR (China) Academy of Sciences (2011-2013) (to W. Deng) SC-Armenia (2011) (to K. Hovhannisyan)

  4. Principal scheme of a (external combustion) heat engine Work-source Hot bath Cold bath Cyclic engine Power: Work: Efficiency: output / input

  5. Laws of thermodynamics First law: Carnot (maximal) efficiency Second law: Gasoline car: 25--30 % , Diesel: 35 -- 40% Efficiency-power dilemma: power goes to zero whenever Question: how to make engines both powerful and efficient

  6. Answer: study engines from within stat mech; microscopic origins of the power-efficiency dilemma (weak law) Allahverdyan et al, 2005—2013 Physical Review E, A Physical Review Letters, Physics Reports Experimentally motivated activity with YerPhi biophysics group by S. Gevorkian Explaining micromechanical/thermal experiments on bio-engines (haemoglobin) Gevorkian, Allahverdyan et al, Physical Review Letters 2009, Europhysics Letters 2009, 2011

  7. 2. Statistical mechanics of evolution theory • D. Saakian (YerPhi), • Z. Kirakossyan (PhD in YerPhi) • CRDF (2007-2010), • NSF-Taiwan (2008-….) • DARPA (2011-…)

  8. Statistical mechanics explaining virus evolution theory Specific points of virus evolution High mutation rates  the unit of evolution is a group of connected genes Asexual reproduction, but with horizontal gene transfer: connected population, many-body problem  statistical mechanics is necessary Accurate experimental realizations

  9. Question: microscopic theory of virus evolution for a finite population of viruses Answer : extract dynamical behaviour from the existing models (quasi-species model). Construct new models. Saakian et al, 2005—2012 PNAS (USA), Physical Review E

  10. Conclusion Reviewed activity of 2 groups doing theoretical statistical mechanics at Yerevan Physics Institute Third group doing statistical mechanics at YerPhi is led by Prof. N. Ananikian. Biologically motivated statistical physics  talk by Prof. Mamasakhlisov More stat-phys, talk by Vadim Ohanyan tomorrow

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