Pica Ciamarra GROUP
I am a Nanyang Associate Professor at the Division of Physics and Applied Physics of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, head of the disordered systems group. If you are looking for an architect, try here!
Biography
Massimo Pica Ciamarra completed his Laurea degree on the Fundamental of Quantum Computing in Physics in the Department of Physics, University of Naples Federico II in 2000. He then performed a PhD in Statistical Physics of Disordered systems at the University of Naples, completing his research work as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Texas, Austin, in 2003. He worked as a researcher at the Italian National Consortium for Soft Condensed Matter (CNISM) and at the Italian National Research Council (CNR). He moved to Nanyang Technological University in 2014.
Massimo has been awarded a Young Research Award from the University of Naples, the Fulbright fellowship from the Italian-US Fulbright foundation, the Marie-Curie EU Research Network for Dynamical Arrest Award, the "Future in Research" National start-up Award from the Italian Ministry of Research, and the Nanyang Professorship within the elite scheme of Nanyang Technological University.
Research interests
The research group performs cutting-edge research at the intersection between statistical physics, soft-matter science and complex systems, and rely heavily on advanced numerical methods. The group tackles fundamental questions as well as application-inspired ones, most often in close collaborations with experimental partners. Systems and problems of interest include granular materials, fracture, earthquakes, yielding, supercooled liquids, glasses, melting, colloids, gels, tissues, active matter.
Recent highlights:
- Our Phy. Rev. Lett. paper unifying competing theories of the vibrational anomalies of amorphous materials is a PRL Editor suggestion.
- Our Phys. Rev. Lett. work on the Reverse Jannsen effect has been featured in Physics and it is a PRL Editor suggestion.
- Back cover for our Soft Matter article on the hexatic phase in model epithelial tissues.
- Our Phys. Rev. Lett. work on the transition from static to dynamic friction is a PRL Editor suggestion.
- Our PNAS paper on the role of long-wavelength fluctuations in two-dimensional liquids received media attention: EurekAlert!, ScienceDaily, Phys.org, etc.
10/21
The low-frequency vibrational properties of amorphous materials are well described by correlated fluctuating elasticity theory. They are those of an elastic continuum punctuated by localised defects, the soft quasi localized vibrational modes.
S. Mahajan, MP Ciamarra, Unifying description of the vibrational anomalies of amorphous materials, Physical Review Letter, 127, 215504
PRL Editors' suggestion
03/21
We demonstrate that the existence of order on a length scale larger than the hyperuniform one, in systems undergoing a diffusive/absorbing phase transition.
Y Zheng, ADS Parmar, MP Ciamarra, Hidden Order Beyond Hyperuniformity in Critical Absorbing States, Physical Review Letters 126 (11), 118003
05/21
We clarify how linearly elasticity emerges from the atomistic description of matter as the system size increases, revealing the effect of structural disorder.
S Mahajan, J Chattoraj, MP Ciamarra, Emergence of linear isotropic elasticity in amorphous and polycrystalline materials, Physical Review E 103 (5), 052606
08/21
We clarify how confinement induces a crossover from a three- to a two-dimensional response in liquids, by affecting the vibrational modes.
J Yang, YW Li, MP Ciamarra, Long-wavelength fluctuations and dimensionality crossover in confined liquids, Physical Review Research 3 (3), 033172
06/20
We demonstrate that attractive forces universally affect the two-dimensional melting transition by promoting a discontinuous solid-liquid transition.
YW Li, MP Ciamarra, Attraction tames two-dimensional melting: from continuous to discontinuous transitions, Physical Review Letters 124 (21), 218002
06/20
We demonstrate that attractive forces universally affect the two-dimensional melting transition by promoting a discontinuous solid-liquid transition.
X Xia, H Hu, MP Ciamarra, R Ni, Linker-mediated self-assembly of mobile DNA-coated colloids, Science Advances 6 (21), eaaz6921
04/20
The spinodal line of active Brownian particles is rationalized via a novel kinetic model. Congratulations to the team!
P Nie, J Chattoraj, A Piscitelli, P Doyle, R Ni, MP Ciamarra, Stability phase diagram of active Brownian particles, Physical Review Research 2 (2), 023010
03/20
We demonstrate and rationalize a reverse Jannsen effect in granular columns. Congratulations to Shivam, Sudhir, and our experimental collaborators!
S Mahajan, M Tennenbaum, SN Pathak, D Baxter, X Fan, P Padilla, C. Anderson, A. Fernandez-Nieves, MP Ciamarra, Reverse Janssen effect in narrow granular columns, Physical Review Letters 124 (12), 128002
See also: https://physics.aps.org/articles/v13/46
03/20
The hexatic phase occurs in the solid-liquid transition of a model epithelial cell tissue, the active Voronoi model.
A Pasupalak, L Yan-Wei, R Ni, MP Ciamarra, Hexatic phase in a model of active biological tissues, Soft Matter 16 (16), 3914-3920
01/20
Congratulations to Joyjit, for demonstrating how attractive forces influence the slow dynamics of supercooled liquids.
J Chattoraj, MP Ciamarra, Role of attractive forces in the relaxation dynamics of supercooled liquids, Physical Review Letters 124 (2), 028001
01/20
New paper out on the transition from static to dynamic friction.
H Charan, J Chattoraj, MP Ciamarra, I Procaccia, Transition from static to dynamic friction in an array of frictional disks, Physical Review Letters 124 (3), 030602
12/19
New paper out on the interplay between the rotational and translational glassy dynamics of Penrose kites.
YW Li, ZQ Li, ZL Hou, TG Mason, K Zhao, ZY Sun, MP Ciamarra, Dynamics in two-dimensional glassy systems of crowded Penrose kites, Physical Review Materials 3 (12), 125603
11/19
Long-Wavelength fluctuations are demonstrated to affect the dynamics of two-dimensional liquids. Congratulations to Yanwei and all collaborators!
YW Li, CK Mishra, ZY Sun, K Zhao, TG Mason, R Ganapathy, MP Ciamarra, Long-wavelength fluctuations and anomalous dynamics in 2-dimensional liquids, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116 (46), 22977
08/19
Frictional systems are shown to fail via a novel oscillatory instability mechanism. Congratulations to Joyjit and the team!
J Chattoraj, O Gendelman, MP Ciamarra, I Procaccia, Oscillatory instabilities in frictional granular matter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 098003
J Chattoraj, O Gendelman, MP Ciamarra, I Procaccia, Noise Amplification in Frictional Systems: Oscillatory Instabilities, Phys. Rev. E 100, 042901
04/18
New paper out on the influence of deformability of the particles on the two-dimensional melting.
YW Li, MP Ciamarra, Role of cell deformability in the two-dimensional melting of biological tissues, Physical Review Materials 2 (4), 045602