The study of emerging phenomena in systems with many interacting components is the focus of this strategic area that includes numerous fields, with both fundamental and application aspects: network theory, Big Data, epidemiology, neuroscience, engineered materials, collective motion in physics and biology. This area covers also the study of laboratory-created and natural plasmas with an intrinsically multidisciplinary approach requiring skills in physics, chemistry and engineering. Their applications are in fields such as energy and thermonuclear fusion, materials and microelectronics, nanostructured surfaces, astrophysics and physics of space, space technologies, biology and biomedicine, environment and waste treatment, cultural heritage, development of coherent radiation sources, compact charged particle accelerators.
Goals are:
- Emergent behavior and complexity in classical physics (critical phenomena, disordered systems, spin glasses) and quantum physics (coherent light, superconductivity, superfluidity), both from the theoretical and experimental perspective.
- Big Data and network theory technologies for the control, prevention and prediction of viral techno-social phenomen, cascade phenomena (technological breakdowns, economic and financial crises) and for the protection of both infrastructures (electrical, transport, logistics networks), and natural ecosystems in unstable equilibrium with anthropogenic structures.
- Fundamental studies on non-linear waves and chaotic dynamics. Applications of machine learning to non-linear and statistical physics.
- Neural networks and synchronization processes. Applications to the analysis and decoding of electrophysiological signals and to the simulation of multi-scale neural systems from the microscopic level to the entire connectome (Human Brain Project).
- Theory, simulation and experimental studies of natural and laboratory plasmas for applications in magnetic fusion, laser-plasma interaction, space and astrophysical plasmas, aerospace, plasma-materials interaction.
- Coordination of the CNR expertise on Controlled Thermo-nuclear Fusion with magnetic confinement in the frame of the participation in the European R&D program on Fusion (EURATOM, EUROfusion), for the realization of ITER (Fusion for Energy, ITER Intern. Org.) and DTT, the new Italian facility for nuclear fusion.