Statistical Physics of Lattice Polymers

7–9 July 2010; University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria.

Lattice models have played an important role in developing our understanding of the statistical mechanics of polymers. Three general types of models have been used: random walks, directed walks and self-avoiding walks. The first two types of models can be attacked by probabilistic and combinatorial methods while the third is more difficult and only qualitative results are available rigorously. Much of our knowledge of self-avoiding walks comes from numerical studies, especially exact enumeration and series analysis, and Monte Carlo methods. This meeting will include all of these aspects.

Some specific problems that we expect to see addressed are phase transitions in polymers (eg the adsorption transition and the collapse transition), polymers subject to geometrical constraints (e.g., confined to a wedge or a slab) and random copolymers.

There are likely to be strong connections to the satellite meeting in Brisbane on Combinatorics and Mathematical Physics, the meeting in Melbourne on Monte Carlo Algorithms in Statistical Physics and the meeting in Brisbane on Exactly Solvable Models in Statistical Physics.

Organising Committee

• A. Owczarek, (University of Melbourne)
• R. Brak, (University of Melbourne)
• S. Whittington, (University of Toronto, Canada)
• I. Jensen, (University of Melbourne)
• G. Iliev, (University of Melbourne)