Organized by members of the Department of Physics and Materials Science and co-funded by the FNR and by the University of Luxembourg, the event (post)Modern Thermodynamics consisted of a school and a workshop that took place at the University of Luxembourg during the second week of December 2022. Approximately 30 members from the University of Luxembourg and 100 participants from abroad – Ph.D. students, researchers, and professors – gathered to learn and discuss state-of-the-art research on thermodynamics and its meaning.
The school, comprising ten courses lectured by experts on distinct topics, aimed at teaching graduate students and young researchers the basics to become top-notch researchers in the field. Within statistical physics, they covered mathematical tools (Markov chains, large deviations, martingales, and network theory), fields of research (chemical reaction networks, stochastic, information, and quantum thermodynamics), future directions (metastability and macroscopic limit), and philosophical discussions on the interpretations of the laws of thermodynamics.
The workshop consisted of 32 talks by selected participants on their own research, fostering many discussions that were extended to coffee breaks and social moments. The sessions were divided between foundations, methods, active matter, quantum, biochemical, and applications.
With no registration fee, we were able to offer a great venue, poster printing services, and catering for all participants; some received financial aid in the form of hospitality or traveling.
Feedback from participants, also monitored via survey, was excellent and the conference was a huge success, while the most frequent suggestion was for more relaxed times and open conversations. Find the program here: https://postmodernthermo.wordpress.com/
We hope it becomes a model for future conferences at the University of Luxembourg!
We acknowledge the University of Luxembourg and the FNR – Luxembourg National Research Fund for financially co-supporting this workshop.
Link to the detailed program: https://postmodernthermo.wordpress.com/