Directed by: Ralf Everaers, ENS de Lyon, France
Contact: Ralf Everaers
Ralf.Everaers [at] ens-lyon.fr
Members of the group:
The theoretical description of the interplay of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids in living cells requires similar methods as the analysis of gels and solutions containing colloidal particles, polymers or surfactant molecules. Soft condensed matter is strongly affected by thermal fluctuations, owes its name to its large susceptibility to external stresses, electric or magnetic fields and often exhibits unusual flow properties. Typically the systems possess or self-assemble into structures which are much larger than atomic or molecular scales. Due to the emergence of (multiple) mesoscopic length and time scales it is neither possible (nor scientifically desirable) to investigate these systems solely by brute-force simulations using empirical atomistic force fields or even quantum-chemical methods. We use methods from statistical physics to study the relation between microscopic interactions, structure and dynamics at mesoscopic scales, and macroscopic physical properties or biological function.
Our research is focused on three topics: (i) viscoelasticity of entangled polymer melts, solutions and networks, (ii) electrostatic interactions in soft condensed matter, and (iii) DNA and chromatin.