Workshop on Maximum Entropy Production:

Earth, Life and Physical Approaches

10th-12th September 2008

Location:
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Access & Accommodations

This workshop is aimed to bring researchers from different disciplines together to discuss new developments and ideas relating to a principle of maximum entropy production (MEP) suggested for time evolution of statistical mean states of nonlinear systems which are kept far from their thermodynamic equilibrium. While such MEP states have been detected in a number of nonlinear non-equilibrium systems, from small-scale turbulence to large-scale planetary circulation as well as biological systems, the basic physical mechanism remains to be explored. The objective of this workshop is therefore to review the state-of-the-art applications and theory of the MEP principle to natural phenomena, and thereby investigate future prospects of the MEP principle and associated formation mechanisms of spatio-temporal patterns in nature.

We encourage in particular the following topics for contributions:
1) Physical and theoretical studies on the MEP principle
2) Experimental studies - validity and limits
3) Earth and climatic aspects
4) Planetary and cosmological aspects
5) Fluid dynamics - turbulence and upper bound theory
6) Biological aspects - Gaia and its evolution
7) Pattern formation in non-equilibrium systems
8) Self-organized criticality and its relation to MEP

Program

Invited Speakers:
Axel Kleidon (MPI-Jena, Germany)
Ralph Lorenz (Applied Physics Laboratory, USA)
Garth Paltridge (Univ. Tasmania, Australia)
Jiangnan Li (CCCma, Canada)
Yasuji Sawada (Tohoku Inst. of Tech., Japan)

Registration:
An application to attend the workshop should be addressed via e-mal to the contact person.
The deadline for applications is 15 July 2008.
Participants should indicate if they wish to make a presentation (oral, poster) and, if so, please provide a provisional title of the presentation.

Organizers:
Yasuji Sawada (Tohoku Inst. of Tech., Japan)
Ralph Lorenz (Applied Physics Laboratory, USA)
Hisashi Ozawa* (Hiroshima Univ., Japan)
Shinya Shimokawa (NIED, Japan)

* Contact person
E-mail: hozawa AT hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Phone: +81 82 424 6499
Fax: +81 82 424 0758

This workshop is a YITP workshop sponsored by Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University.

Links:
Kansai International Airport
Narita International Airport