Complex dynamics in soft matter and beyond

Aims and Scope

Following the success of the first edition, held in Capri in 2025, the second edition of the meeting will take place in 2027 and will focus on diffusion and microscopic dynamics in soft matter and complex systems.

In these systems, microscopic dynamics may be anomalous, non-Gaussian, intermittent, or spatially heterogeneous, and may occur both in and out of equilibrium, under ergodic or non-ergodic, stationary or aging conditions. Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying these behaviours, and how microscopic dynamics connect to structure, relaxation, transport, and macroscopic material properties, remains a central challenge in statistical and soft matter physics.

The 2027 edition aims to foster exchange among experimental, theoretical, and computational scientists, and to stimulate discussion of diffusion and collective dynamics across a broad range of soft and complex systems, including polymers, porous and glassy materials, supercooled liquids, and active and living matter.

Topics

• Anomalous and Fickian non-Gaussian diffusion

• Challenges in single-particle tracking

• Dynamics in active and living systems

• From microscopic dynamics to mechanical response 

• Microscopic dynamics in polymer systems and porous materials

• Slow dynamics in soft glassy materials and supercooled liquids