DAMP Physics, IITB

PH 416 - Soft Matter Physics Review 1 Instructor name: Anirban Sain Course Type:  Honours / Elective Pre-requisites:  Classical Mechanics I (EP 222 or equivalent), Statistical Physics (EP 320 or equivalent) Course Content:  Polymers (Freely Jointed Chain, Worm-Like Chain), Liquid Crystals (Isotropic Nematic Phase Transitions), Membranes (Curvatures, Surface Tension), Colloids Books:  "M. Doi, S.F. Edwards - The Theory of Polymer Dynamics", "Kleman, Lavrentovich - Soft Matter Physics" Lectures:    Informal attendance policy, blackboard Exams and Grading:  One brief course project, requiring 6 hours of work instead of Quiz 2, Difficulty: Easy  Pro-tips:  Attend the classes and follow what the instructor asks you to do, Prof. Sain gives open book exams, you would not need to do an inch more than this. Respondent: Kumar Ayush                           ...

I spent my second year summer as a research intern at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy’s group. My work was broadly in the area of theoretical non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Background Prior to this internship, I had been working on a project (under Prof. Amitabha Nandi) on the modelling of collective motion in self-propelled particle systems. So, in a way, I already had some exposure, albeit limited, to this relatively new field of research called ‘active matter’, and had developed quite a bit of interest in the work. This led me to apply to soft condensed matter physics groups around the world. The apping experience is something that only those who have done it can explain. After weeks of writing emails, and applying for scholarship programs, I ended up getting accepted for the Indian Science Academies’ summer research fellowship program, which provided funding for me to take up the position offered by my prof. The Group Th...