Prof. Kia Ling Ngai is Senior Scientist and Theoretical Consultant, Electronic Science & Technology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, USA (1987-2010), visiting Professor (2005), Max Planck Institut für Komplexer Systeme, Dresden, Germany, Visiting Professor (2006-present), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, associate editor of Colloid and Polymer Science. He published over 500 papers in refereed journals, 6 book chapters, and two books to be published by Springer (Berlin, New York), with 17213 citation times and h-index of 65. Title: Universal Relaxation and Diffusion in Interacting Complex Systems Time: October 12, at 3:30 in the afternoon Location: Academic auditorium of DPSE Building (228) Abstract: Relaxation and diffusion in complex interacting systems including polymers, colloids, and glass-forming substances in general is necessarily a many-body problem because of intermolecular interactions and constraints. Results from experiments are presented to reveal the critical elements and general effects originating from many-body relaxation, but not dealt with in most current theories. Although many-body relaxation is still an unsolved problem in statistical mechanics, these critical elements and general effects will serve as guides to the construction of a satisfactory theory of viscoelasticity of polymers, glass transition, and etc. This effort is facilitated by concepts and predictions drawn from the Coupling Model, which are shown to be consistent with the experimental facts. |
