Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou 70 Years Later: Slow Dynamics in Classical and Quantum Physics

Administration

Description

An ICTP Meeting

Seventy years after the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou investigations, we revisit its legacy in classical and quantum systems, exploring slow relaxation, ergodicity breaking, and emergent phenomena shaping modern nonlinear and many-body physics.

Seventy years after the pioneering numerical experiment of Fermi, Pasta, Ulam, and Tsingou, the study of slow dynamics in many-body systems continues to inspire fundamental research across physics. The unexpected persistence of non-ergodic behavior in nonlinear oscillator chains opened a path to modern investigations of thermalization, integrability, and chaos. Today, these themes extend well beyond the classical realm, shaping our understanding of quantum quenches, many-body localization, prethermalization, and emergent hydrodynamics. This conference brings together mathematicians and physicists to assess the legacy of the FPUT problem, highlight recent advances, and explore future directions in both classical and quantum dynamics.

Topics:

Slow dynamics in many body systems
Thermalization, ergodicity, and its breaking in many-body system

Speakers:

B. Altshuler, Columbia University, USA
C. Arezzo, ICTP, Italy
M. Baldovin, CNR-ISC, Italy
F. Balducci, MPIPKS, Germany
G. Benettin, Università di Padova, Italy
E. Bogomolny, Université Paris-Saclay, France
P. Calabrese, SISSA, Italy
S. Flach, Institute for Basic Science, South Korea
L. Foini, Institut de Physique Théorique, France
M. Gallone, Università di Milano, Italy
M. Giachello, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy
S. Lepri, CNR-ISC, Italy
R. Livi, Università di Firenze & INFN, Italy
D. Lucente, Università della Campania, Italy
M. Onorato, Università di Torino, Italy
F. Ricci - Teresenghi, Università La Sapienza, Italy
S. Ruffo, CNR-ISC, Italy
L. Salasnich, Università di Padova, Italy
D. Shepelyansky, Laboratoire de Physique Théorique CNRS, France

Grants: Please note that, unfortunately, no grants or financial support are available to assist with the attendance of selected participants.

Material

List of participants Poster group photo

Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou 70 Years Later: Slow Dynamics in Classical and Quantum Physics | (smr 4178)

Go to day

Monday, 10 November 2025

08:30 - 09:00 Registration Formalities

REGISTRATION: Upon arrival, Visitors not staying in the ICTP Guest Houses, are kindly requested to complete registration formalities at the Leonardo Building (Lobby). The Registration Desk will be open in the morning starting from 8:30.

09:00 - 21:40

09:00 A mean-field theory of effective normal modes in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou model 40'

Speaker:	Marco BALDOVIN (CNR-ISC)
Material:	Abstract

09:40 Wave Turbulence approach to the FPUT system 40'

Speaker:	Miguel ONORATO (Università di Torino)
Material:	Abstract

10:20 Coffee Break 40'

11:00 Eigenstate Thermalization and Free probability 40'

Speaker:	Laura FOINI (Institut de Physique Théorique, CEA Saclay)
Material:	Abstract

11:40 From weak to strong ergodicity breaking: rethinking the out of equilibrium dynamics in glassy systems 40'

Speaker:	Federico Ricci TERSENGHI (Università La Sapienza)
Material:	Abstract Slides

12:30 Lunch Break 1h30'

14:00 Energy transport in FPUT chains 40'

Speaker:	Roberto LIVI (Università di Firenze & INFN)
Material:	Abstract Slides

14:40 Localization and "classical entanglement'' in the Discrete Non-Linear Schrödinger Equation 40'

Speaker:	Martina GIACHELLO (GSSI)
Material:	Abstract

15:20 Coffee Break 20'

15:40 The search for integrability in the FPU(T) model 40'

Speaker:	Giancarlo BENETTIN (Università di Padova)
Material:	Abstract Slides

16:20 From FPU1955 to Wealth thermalization 40'

Speaker:	DIMA SHEPELYANSKY (Laboratoire de Physique Théorique CNRS)
Material:	Abstract Slides

19:00 Welcome Reception 2h0'

All Participants are cordially invited to the Welcome Reception.

Location: Leonardo Building Cafeteria

Tuesday, 11 November 2025

09:00 - 16:20

09:00 Thermalization Universality Classes 40'

Speaker:	Sergej FLACH (Institute for Basic Science)
Material:	Abstract Slides

09:40 Ergodicity, Localization and Multifractality in quantum systems 40'

Speaker:	Boris ALTSHULER (Columbia University)
Material:	Slides

10:20 Coffee Break 40'

11:00 Higher orders of perturbation series in classical mechanics 40'

Speaker:	Eugene BOGOMOLNYI (Université Paris-Saclay )
Material:	Abstract

11:40 Quantum Mpemba effect 40'

Speaker:	Pasquale CALABRESE (SISSA)
Material:	Abstract Slides

12:30 Lunch Break 1h30'

14:00 Geometric properties of the microcanonical surface in the Discrete Non-Linear Schrödinger equation 40'

Speaker:	Claudio AREZZO (ICTP)
Material:	Abstract

14:40 Subdiffusive spin transport in disordered classical Heisenberg chains 40'

Speaker:	Federico BALDUCCI (MPIPKS)
Material:	Abstract Slides

15:20 Coffee Break 20'

15:40 Burgers equation and the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou lattice 40'

Speaker:	Stefano RUFFO (CNR-ISC)
Material:	Abstract Slides

Wednesday, 12 November 2025

09:00 - 14:00

09:00 Lax dynamics 40'

Speaker:	Stefano LEPRI (CNR-ISC)
Material:	Abstract Slides

09:40 Matter-wave solitons in optical lattices 40'

Speaker:	Luca SALASNICH (Università di Padova)
Material:	Abstract Slides

10:20 Coffee Break 40'

11:00 Thermalization and typicality in integrable systems 40'

Speaker:	Dario LUCENTE (Università della Campania)
Material:	Abstract

11:40 Slow thermalization in FPUT and Quantum Lattice Systems 40'

Speaker:	Matteo GALLONE (Università Milano)
Material:	Abstract

12:30 Lunch Break 1h10'
13:40 Group Photo 20' ( Leonardo Building - Budinich Lecture Hall )

14:00 - 16:30 ICTP Colloquium by Angelo VULPIANI
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The Colloquium will be livestreamed at: ictp.it/livestream
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- 14:00 Noise and Climate Dynamics 2h0' ( Leonardo Building - Budinich Lecture Hall )
  
  Speaker: Angelo VULPIANI (Università La Sapienza)
- 16:00 Refreshments 30'