Title:  The New Physics of Asymmetry

Speaker: Adilson E. Motter, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Abstract:  Symmetry breaking--the phenomenon in which the symmetry of a system is not inherited by its stable states--underlies pattern formation, superconductivity, and numerous other effects. In this talk, I will present on the recently established possibility of converse symmetry breaking (CSB) [1,2], an emergent phenomenon in which stable states are symmetric only when the system itself is not. In particular,  I will  discuss how CSB challenges the widely held assumption that identical entities are necessarily more likely to exhibit similar behavior than non-identical ones. I will show that CSB can, in fact, give rise to beneficial effects of heterogeneity in numerous complex systems in which interacting entities are required to exhibit coordinated behavior [3,4]. I also plan to discuss experimental demonstrations of this phenomenon as well as concrete applications to network optimization and control [1,3,5]. Finally, I hope to convey that our research in network dynamics is now not only benefiting from statistical and nonlinear physics, but also fostering fundamental discoveries in these areas. 
[1] F. Molnar, T. Nishikawa, and A. E. Motter, Network experiment demonstrates converse symmetry breaking,  Nat. Phys. 16, 351 (2020).
[2] T. Nishikawa and A. E. Motter, Symmetric states requiring system asymmetry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 114101 (2016).
[3] J. D. Hart, Y. Zhang, R. Roy,  and A. E. Motter, Topological control of synchronization patterns: Trading symmetry for stability, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 058301 (2019).
[4] Z. G. Nicolaou, D. Eroglu, and A. E. Motter, Multifaceted dynamics of Janus oscillator networks, Phys. Rev. X 9,  011017 (2019).
[5] Z. G. Nicolaou, M. Sebek, I. Z. Kiss, and A. E. Motter, Coherent dynamics enhanced by uncorrelated noise, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 094101 (2020).

Obs: O Colóquio será proferido em português

O Colóquio será transmitido pelo Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82233731237?pwd=cGp1NnRWOHluR3dkcEsrR0pxTXBWUT09
Meeting ID: 822 3373 1237
Passcode: 023288

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