Research Topics
Disordered matter & computer algorithms
My research is based in condensed matter physics: the study of matter and systems with many interacting elements (atoms, magnetic spins, vortices, and even automobiles). Condensed matter physics usually treats objects larger than a few atoms (smaller bits belong to atomic and particle physics) and smaller than a city (larger items are the domain of geophysics, astronomy, and cosmology). I use theoretical analysis and simulations to study complex phenomena, including phase transitions and "glassy" (very slow dynamical) behavior. The goals is to build a better framework for understanding how the behavior of matter depends on the time and length scales of measurement. I am also very interested how disordered matter remembers its past history. Besides solving problems of physical importance, I study algorithms for efficiently modeling complex problems and the relation between computational methods and physical ideas.