Speaker: Suriyanarayanan Vaikuntanathan, University of Chicago Title: Dissipation Induced Transitions in Elastic Membranes and Mterials
Abstract: Stochastic thermodynamics provides a useful set of tools to analyze and constrain the behavior of far from equilibrium systems. However, these tools have not yet been broadly applied to aid in the control of materials assembled far from equilibrium. In this talk, I will report an application of ideas from stochastic thermodynamics to the problem of membrane growth. Non-equilibrium forcing of the membrane can cause it to buckle and undergo morphological transformations. I will show how ideas from stochastic thermodynamics, in particular, a recent application to self-assembly, can be used to phenomenologically describe and constrain morphological changes excited during a non-equilibrium growth process. Biophysical implications of these results will also be discussed.