The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) will organize a Research Workshop on "Statistical Mechanics of Plastic Deformation", to be held in Trieste from 4 to 7 March 2002.
The Organizers for this activity will be:

- E.C. Aifantis (Michigan Technological University,
Houghton, MI, USA)

- P. Hähner (JRC-IAM, Petten, The Netherlands)

- A.A. El-Azab (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
Richland, WA, USA)

- H. Neuhäuser (CMSE, The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom)

- A. Vespignani (ICTP, Trieste, Italy)

- M. Zaiser (MPI für Metallforschung, Stuttgart, Germany)

- S. Zapperi (INFM, Università 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy)

The workshop will be co-sponored by the VolkswagenStiftung (Hannover, Germany).

In recent years there has been a growing demand for applying statistical physics concepts to materials problems. In particular, this is true for problems related to plasticity, such as strength, formability and failure of metals. While plasticity has for a long time been considered a domain of materials scientists and engineers, it is now being recognized that more advanced theoretical concepts can contribute to predicting the plastic deformation behaviour on microscopic and mesoscopic scales. On these scales, plasticity is governed by the complex dynamics of systems of interacting defects whose characterization necessitates advanced experimental and theoretical tools. In this perspective, plasticity provides an interesting field of application for non-equilibrium statistical physics concepts such as intermittency, fractal patterning, nonlinear waves, criticality and chaos.

The aim of the Workshop is to provide a forum dedicated to the exchange between materials scientists working in plasticity and statistical physicists interested in materials problems. The topics of the Workshop are:

- Statistical mechanics of single/many dislocation systems: depinning, pattern formation, internal stresses, long-range interacting lines;

- Collective dislocation dynamics and plastic instabilities: avalanches, intermittency, non-linear oscillations and waves;

- Plasticity of non-crystalline solids: cellular and amorphous materials, granular media and polymers;

- Advanced experimental and simulation techniques.


Students and young scientists from all countries that are members of the UN, UNESCO or IAEA can attend the Workshop. The main purpose of the Centre is to help researchers from developing countries through a programme of training activities within a framework of international co-operation. However, scientists from developed countries are also strongly encouraged to apply. This activity is specially meant for strongly motivated graduate students and young post-doctoral scientists. Logistics limit the number of participants to 75-80.
Limited funds are available for some applicants from developing countries, to be selected by the organizers. Every effort should be made by candidates to secure support for their fare (or at least half-fare) from their home country. Such financial support is available only to those attending the entire activity. There is no registration fee to attend the Workshop.
Candidates should complete and return the "Request for Participation" form, to be found at the back of the Bulletin (also obtainable via e-mail: smr1399@ictp.trieste.it by typing on the subject line "get announcement", or via the WWW server which will be periodically updated: http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~smr1399), by 18 January 2002, to:

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