Physicists who do research on complex systems

[StatGuy2000]

Hi everyone. I have followed with interest in the work of physicists who have conducted research in the area of complex systems and nonlinear dynamics. For example, consider researchers such as Mark Newman from the University of Michigan, Jim Crutchfield of USC, or Doyne Farmer and David Wolpert of the Santa Fe Institute.

Would you consider these people to be part of the condensed matter physics theory community of researchers (given their common background in statistical physics)? Or is it best to think of these researchers as a separate, entirely distinct of physics?

 

[jedishrfu]

The best way to answer this is to see:
- what departments they are in at their universities or companies or
- what courses they teach or
- what journals they typically submit to.

 

[StatGuy2000]

The best way to answer this is to see:
- what departments they are in at their universities or companies or
- what courses they teach or
- what journals they typically submit to.

In the case of some of the physicists that I'm aware of who do research on complex systems, they have submitted their publications to journals such as Physical Review E (covering statistical nonlinear, biological and soft matter physics), Journal of Complex Networks (which, as the title suggests, is a journal that specializes in complex networks research).

This doesn't really answer my question about whether these researchers are part of the condensed matter physics community.

 

[Auto-Didact]

^ Try asking experienced condensed matter physicists; assuming they are familiar with the literature and go to CMP events, they should be able to answer you directly.

Hi everyone. I have followed with interest in the work of physicists who have conducted research in the area of complex systems and nonlinear dynamics. For example, consider researchers such as Mark Newman from the University of Michigan, Jim Crutchfield of USC, or Doyne Farmer and David Wolpert of the Santa Fe Institute.

Would you consider these people to be part of the condensed matter physics theory community of researchers (given their common background in statistical physics)? Or is it best to think of these researchers as a separate, entirely distinct of physics?

Some big "old" names in nonlinear dynamics (NLD) and complexity are Feigenbaum, Lorenz and Takens. They all were instrumental in the early 'nonlinear revolution' and obviously pioneers of the field, but while they were working back then they would most definitely all be classified as completely separate scientists working in completely separate fields.

Stephen Strogatz, of the masterful NLD textbook, and many of his students and collaborators, including Watts and Barabasi, would probably be classified as applied mathematicians; incidentally, nonlinear dynamics, chaos and complexity are also best classified as applied mathematics.