Multiscale modelling in materials science, biology and earth sciences
- Author: Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)
Prof. Volker Bach (FB 08 Mathematics)
Prof. Friedrike Schmid (FB 08 Physics)
Prof. Kurt Kremer (MPI Polymer Research)
Prof. Jos Lelieveld (MPI Chemistry)
Prof. Kurt Binder (FB 08 Physics)
Prof. Volkmar Wirth (FB 08 Physics)
It is common to all these disciplines that a hierarchy of scales is addressed in order to provide a quantitative understanding of the phenomena under consideration. In earth systems modelling local and global observations have to be linked to studies of chemical reactions and kinetics under laboratory conditions.
Meteorological processes, atmosphere-biosphere interaction as well as links to the solid earth and oceans need to be understood in terms of climate control mechanisms. In soft materials science and biology, details of the local chemical structure on a molecular scale have to be linked in a systematic way to generic physical aspects, such as fluctuations and phase transitions, which can best be studied on a rather general level.
In either case, a continuous up and down scaling of the level of description is required and an improved and more profound inclusion of non-equilibrium phenomena is crucial. Groups in Mainz have contributed to this development for many years, which requires truly interdisciplinary work at the leading edge.