Department of Physics of Complex Systems 

Adam Schwimmer, Head

The Department of Physics of Complex Systems has research programs in applied physics, including optics (holography, image processing, non-linear effects in optical fibers, electro-optics, planar optics and ultrafast optics, atomic lithography and laser cooling, and trapping of atoms). In condensed matter, research is concentrated on theory and experiment (in particular micromagnetics, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics, crystal and thin film growth, clustering of data, protein folding, liquid crystals, colloids, complex fluids, flame and wet front propagation, and membranes). Experimental and theoretical hydrodynamics concentrates on spatio-temporal chaos, Rayleigh-Benard convection, and turbulence. String theory and conformal field theory, quantum chaos, and in physics of bio-systems are also studied.

N. Davidson 
nir.davidson@weizmann.ac.il

Laser cooling and trapping of atoms and Bose Einstein Condensation.

Atomic optics, interferometry and chaos.

Quantum tunneling and reflection of ultra cold atoms.

E. Domany 
eytan.domany@weizmann.ac.il

Computational Physics

1.  Protein folding.

2.  Clustering of Data.

3.  Equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics.

G. Falkovich 
gregory.falkovich@weizmann.ac.il

Cloud turbulence and rain.

Intermittency in Turbulence.

A. Friesem
asher.friesem@weizmann.ac.il

Optical Information Processing.

Diffractive Optical Elements and Planar Optics.

Photonic Devices.

D. Kandel 
daniel.kandel@weizmann.ac.il

Dynamics of atomic steps on crystalline surfaces.

Epitaxical growth of strained films.

Exact continuum modeling of discrete systems.

Statistical mechanics of membranes with embedded inclusions.

E. Moses 
elisha.moses@weizmann.ac.il

Neuronal Chips.

EEG and Brain Activity.

Motors and Cell Division.

High Resolution Imaging in Cells.

D. Mukamel
david.mukamel@weizmann.ac.il

Systems with long range interactions
D. Mukamel, S. Ruffo

Coarsening processes and slow dynamics.
D. Mukamel, M. Evans, C. Godreche

Collective phenomena in systems far from thermal equilibrium.
D. Mukamel, M. Evans, G. Schutz

Denaturation transition in DNA molecules.
D. Mukamel, L. Peliti, A. Stella, E. Carlon

Wetting phenomena in driven systems
D. Mukamel, H. Hinrichsen, R. Livi, A. Politi

A. Schwimmer
adam.schwimmer@weizmann.ac.il

String theory.

Conformal field theory.

Dynamics of gauge theory.

Y. Silberberg 
yaron.silberberg@weizmann.ac.il

Nonlinear optics and soitons.

Ultrafast optics and coherent control.

Nonlinear microscopy.

U. Smilansky
uzy.smilansky@weizmann.ac.il

Quantum chaos.

Chaotic scattering.

Semi-classical quantization.

J. Stavans 
joel.stavans@weizmann.ac.il

Single-Molecule Biological Physics.
J. Stavans, Amos Oppenheim

1.  Proteins of the bacterial chromosome

2.  DNA processing enzymes

Physics of membranes.
J. Stavans, Daniel Kandel

Genetic Networks: the SOS response
J. Stavans, Uri Alon

V. Steinberg 
victor.steinberg@weizmann.ac.il

Physical hydrodynamics, pattern dynamics of non-equilibrium systems

1.  Hydrodynamics of polymer solutions.

2.  Turbulent mixing by polymers.

3.  Dynamics and conformation of a single polymer molecule in complex flows.

4.  Development of measurement of vorticity distribution in a turbulent flow.

5.  Convective turbulence in a fluid near the gas-liquid critical point.

6.  Microfluidics: mixing, cell separation,chaotic flows.