The former Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics is now the Instititute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems

In January 2019 the Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics has been renamed the Instititute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems. The new name of the institute reflects one of the focus areas in research and teaching at the Faculty of Physics.

The physics of complex system is an interdisciplinary branch of physics that studies dynamics and structure formation in diverse systems. Typically, these systems are highly nonlinear, stochastic or active (or combinations thereof). They have a large number of degrees of freedom that exhibit complex patterns of interactions and are therefore often described with statistical approaches.

The physics of complex systems is closely connected with biophysics, as many biological systems fall into this category, but there are also many other examples of complex systems. In Göttingen, two focus areas of research on complex systems are biological systems (for example, genetic and neural information processing, dynamics of the heart, motility of single-cell organisms) and the physics of fluids (including turbulence, complex fluids, microswimmers, fluids of active particles).

Physics of complex systems is an area of physics with a strong theoretical component, however, theory is often done in close contact with experiments and involves the analysis of complex data. Correspondingly, computational methods are typically crucial. Teaching in this area covers both general methodology such as nonlinear or stochastic dynamics and specific classes of systems.

Several institutes of the Faculty of Physics are involved in research and teaching of Physics of Complex systems, specifically the Institute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems, the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the Third Institute of Physics (Biophysics). Research at these institutes is complemented by the research done at the MPI DS and DLR and frequently involves collaborations with institutes of the faculty of Biology or the University Medical Center.