While the formalism of equilibrium physics is established in an elegant way within the Boltzmannian description, understanding of non-equilibrium systems remains elusive although they are prevalent in nature. For example, nonequilibrium aspects are essential for fluid motions, material failure or sustenance life in a single cell. The last two decades have seen a tremendous growth on this broad theme and lots of efforts have been made to put forward unifying principles and general truths.
A national institute for research in the theoretical sciences
Conferences
Out-of-equilibrium systems are ubiquitous in nature. In contrast to their equilibrium counterparts, which are fairly well-understood using the framework of statistical mechanics, a description of them is challenging and is at the forefront of current-day research. Recently, important experimental and theoretical techniques have been developed, and advances have been made in both classical and quantum systems that are out-of-equilibrium.
Building on the first edition of Cosmic Connections, this national meeting will bring together researchers in cosmology. The 2026 edition will focus on the growing role of artificial intelligence and machine learning across cosmic scales, while retaining a broad scientific scope covering topics from the Early, Intermediate, and Late Universe. The talks and discussions are distributed (but not limited to) in the following areas:
Chennai Soft Matter Days aims to bring together researchers working on diverse aspects of soft matter through experimental, theoretical, and computational/simulation approaches, fostering interaction and exchange of ideas across these areas.