Maths Meets Myths
Quantifying narratives through statistical physics to examine social structures in some of the world’s best-known myths and legends, to investigate how content is based on real-life patterns of relationships.
Statistical Physics
Focus of our research
Led by Professor Ralph Kenna, the Statistical Physics group was originally established in 2006.
We have an international reputation in classical and quantum statistical physics, including liquid crystals and polymers. Alongside these cohesive interests, our team are renown as pioneers in interdisciplinary research of complex systems. We collaborate worldwide in biophysics, computational physics, cosmology, informatics, sociophysics, transport and narrative networks.
If you wish to find out more about our research, please contact Professor Ralph Kenna.
Key researchers
| Name | Research specialism | |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Ralph Kenna | Statistical physics, phase transitions, critical phenomena, sociophysics, complex systems | r.kenna@coventry.ac.uk |
| Professor Damien Foster, Executive Director of the Centre for Computational Science and Mathematical Modelling | Critical phenomena and phase transitions, polymer physics, soft-matter physics, computational modelling | ab5651@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Nikolaos Fytas | Statistical Physics, disordered systems, condensed matter physics, soft matter physics | nikolaos.fytas@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Charo del Genio | Network Science, graph algorithms, molecular dynamics, protein biophysics, computational physics | ad0364@coventry.ac.uk |
| Professor Eun-jin Kim | Non-equilibrium processes, complex systems, self-organisation, information theory, turbulence | ad3116@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Robert Low | General relativity, causality, Lorentz geometry, ranking methods | r.low@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Thierry Platini | Biophysics, statistical physics, non-equilibriul quantum systems, mathematical puzzles, | thierry.platini@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Sascha Wald | Non-equilibrium quantum systems, collective behaviour, quantum stochastic calculus, phase transitions, network dynamics | sascha.wald@coventry.ac.uk |
| Dr Taras Yavorskyi | Statistical physics, frustrated magnetism, complex systems, emergence, model validation | ab3785@coventry.ac.uk |
Project spotlight
In recent years, statistical physicists have increased their interests in other disciplines motivated by how properties of complex systems emerge nontrivially from interactions between component parts.
Find out more about some of our projects:
Variability & Self-Organisation in Stellar Evolution
Combining the novel concepts of self-organisation and probability density functions to understand and model explosive solar/stellar flare.
