Welcome to Home Page of Nonlinear Physics Division
Our research covers topics in dynamical systems ranging from nonlinear and nonequilibrium physics to theories of networks and living and neural systems.
We are particularly interested in systems composed of many simple elements that, through cooperative interactions, come to exhibit complex behavior and high-level functions that could not have been predicted from consideration of the individual elements alone. It is well known that many physical systems, for example, fluid systems and systems undergoing chemical reactions, are of this type. However, they are not the only such systems. For example, such cooperative behavior is also found in neural networks and social systems. For example, in neural systems consisting of many basic elements (neurons), the interactions among these elements allow the systems to acquire the advanced information processing functions of learning, memory and decision making. From a more general point of view, we are interested in systems consisting of many dynamical elements (neurons, cities, people, etc.) that form networks. In many such systems, the network structure and the dynamic activity of the elements evolve simultaneously, and the network possesses a capacity for self-organization. We study cooperative phenomena in systems of this kind, and we focus on reduction theory, rhythmic phenomena and chaos theory from the perspective of nonlinear dynamics and non-equilibrium physics.
For more detailed information, please click on the links at the top of this page.