Physical Chemistry Seminar: Arrhenius law in interacting systems: unexplored universalities, phase transitions and more surprises

Zoom: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/87541233641?pwd=RlQ3R01PYnFwSFZsWUN0MzRSMWo2Zz09

Abstract:

Protein unfolding, chemical reactions, and flashing of fireflies are all examples of thermal activation processes. In its most basic form, we will be interested in the escape rate of a particle in a potential trap, due to thermal fluctuations. The Arrhenius law famously captures the escape rate of this problem. For deep traps, Arrhenius law states that the escape rate is universal, independent of the details of the trap. Here, we revisit the escape problem for interacting systems. Unlike the single body case, known for over a century, we will show that the many-body escape problem leads to new universalities, phase transitions, and more surprises.

Seminar Organizer: Dr. Guy Cohen