Many equations describing the dynamics of soft matter are derived from a variational principle proposed by Onsager in his celebrated paper on the reciprocal relation. This includes Stokes equation for hydrodynamics, Smoluchowskii equation for Brownian motion, Cahn-Hilliard equation for phase separation (model H), elasto-diffusion equation for gels, Leslie-Ericksen equation for liquid crystals etc. Here I discuss how this principle is useful in solving practical problems and the implication of this principle.
报告人简介:
Masao Doi is a professor in 1000 Foreign Expert Program, Beihang University, director of Center of Soft Matter Physics & its Applications who is a Professor Emeritus at Nagoya University and The University of Tokyo. Masao Doi has written 3 monographs on polymer and soft matter physics. “The theory of polymer dynamics” (coauthored with S.F. Edwards, Oxford Univ. Press, 1986)”, “Introduction to polymer physics” (OUP, 1995), and “Soft matter physics” (OUP 2013). They are extensively used by researchers and students in the world. He has received many awards, including Polymer Society Award Japan(1982), Polymer Prize (APS,2001) , Bingham Medal (Society of Rheology, USA, 2001), the Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States of America (2016) etc.