Speaker
Federico Corberi
(SA)
Description
Condensation is the phenomenon whereby a finite fraction of some
quantity, e.g. a particle density, concentrates into a small region of
phase-space, as in the paradigmatic example of a vapor transforming into
a liquid when crossing a phase-transition. It is observed in a number of
different models, related to magnetic properties, gravity, mass
transport and other issues. A different manifestation of condensation is
observed when probability distributions of a fluctuating collective
variable, such as the number of particles in a thermodynamic system, are
considered. In this case, a fluctuation well above the typical value can
be associated to a condensed configuration of the system. This effect,
referred to as condensation of fluctuations, is not restricted to the
particle number but is observed for quantities as diverse as energy,
exchanged heats, particles currents etc… In this talk I will review
some examples of this phenomenon and elucidate its origin.
Primary author
Federico Corberi
(SA)
