Classical dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) is one of the cornerstones of modern statistical mechanics. It is an extension of the highly successful method of classical density functional theory (DFT) to nonequilibrium systems. Originally developed for the treatment of simple and complex fluids, DDFT is now applied in fields as diverse as hydrodynamics, materials science, chemistry, biology, and plasma physics. In this review, we give a broad overview over classical DDFT. We explain its theoretical foundations and the ways in which it can be derived. The relations between the different forms of deterministic and stochastic DDFT as well as between DDFT and related theories, such as quantum-mechanical time-dependent DFT, mode coupling theory, and phase field crystal models, are clarified. Moreover, we discuss the wide spectrum of extensions of DDFT, which covers methods with additional order parameters (like extended DDFT), exact approaches (like power functional theory), and systems with more complex dynamics (like active matter). Finally, the large variety of applications, ranging from fluid mechanics and polymer physics to solidification, pattern formation, biophysics, and electrochemistry, is presented.
The Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism is a powerful method for the derivation of mesoscopic and macroscopic theories based on known microscopic equations of motion. It has applications in a large number of areas including fluid mechanics, solid-state theory, spin relaxation theory, and particle physics. In its present form, however, the formalism cannot be directly applied to systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians. Such systems are relevant in a lot of scenarios like, for example, driven soft matter or nuclear magnetic resonance. In this article, we derive a generalization of the present Mori-Zwanzig formalism that is able to treat also time-dependent Hamiltonians. The extended formalism can be applied to classical and quantum systems, close to and far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and even in the case of explicitly time-dependent observables. Moreover, we develop a variety of approximation techniques that enhance the practical applicability of our formalism. Generalizations and approximations are developed for both equations of motion and correlation functions. Our formalism is demonstrated for the important case of spin relaxation in a time-dependent external magnetic field. The Bloch equations are derived together with microscopic expressions for the relaxation times.The currently used form of the Mori-Zwanzig formalism faces the problem that it cannot be directly applied to systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians. Those, however, are relevant for a lot of scenarios including soft matter systems subject to time-dependent external driving forces [30,31] or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements with rapidly varying electromagnetic pulses [21].If arising, time-dependent Hamiltonians can sometimes be treated as additional external perturbations [3]. This requires, however, that the perturbation is sufficiently small and couples to the macroscopic variables only. Generalizations of the projection operator method towards non-Hamiltonian dynamical systems have been developed by Chorin, Hald, and Kupferman [27,32]. Xing and Kim use mappings between dissipative and Hamiltonian systems [33] to apply projection operators in the non-Hamiltonian case [34]. The methods from Refs. [32][33][34], however, are not applicable to quantum-mechanical systems. Moreover, approximation methods commonly applied in the context of the Mori-Zwanzig formalism, such as the linearization around thermodynamic equilibrium [3], rely on the existence of a Hamiltonian.The Mori-Zwanzig formalism exists in a variety of forms. The original theory developed by Mori [1] can be applied to systems with time-independent Hamiltonians that are close to thermal equilibrium. A generalization towards systems far from equilibrium using timedependent projection operators has been presented by Robertson [35], Kawasaki and Gunton [36], and Grabert [3,7]. Recently, Bouchard has derived an extension of the Mori theory towards systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians [21] that can be applied close to equilibrium. What is still missing, however...
For preventing the spread of epidemics such as the coronavirus disease COVID-19, social distancing and the isolation of infected persons are crucial. However, existing reaction-diffusion equations for epidemic spreading are incapable of describing these effects. In this work, we present an extended model for disease spread based on combining a susceptible-infected-recovered model with a dynamical density functional theory where social distancing and isolation of infected persons are explicitly taken into account. We show that the model exhibits interesting transient phase separation associated with a reduction of the number of infections, and allows for new insights into the control of pandemics.
Orientational expansions, which are widely used in the natural sciences, exist in angular and Cartesian form. Although these expansions are orderwise equivalent, it is difficult to relate them in practice. In this article, both types of expansions and their relations are explained in detail. We give explicit formulas for the conversion between angular and Cartesian expansion coefficients for functions depending on one, two, and three angles in two and three spatial dimensions. These formulas are useful, e.g., for comparing theoretical and experimental results in liquid crystal physics. The application of the expansions in the definition of orientational order parameters is also discussed.
The Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism is one of the central tools of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, allowing to derive macroscopic equations of motion from the microscopic dynamics through a systematic coarse-graining procedure. It is important as a method in physical research and gives many insights into the general structure of nonequilibrium transport equations and the general procedure of microscopic derivations. Therefore, it is a valuable ingredient of basic and advanced courses in statistical mechanics. However, accessible introductions to this methodin particular in its more advanced forms -are extremely rare. In this article, we give a simple and systematic introduction to the Mori-Zwanzig formalism, which allows students to understand the methodology in the form it is used in current research. This includes both basic and modern versions of the theory. Moreover, we relate the formalism to more general aspects of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. Thereby, we explain how this method can be incorporated into a lecture course on statistical mechanics as a way to give a general introduction to the study of nonequilibrium systems. Applications, in particular to spin relaxation and dynamical density functional theory, are also discussed. * Corresponding author: raphael.wittkowski@uni-muenster.de 1 Active particles are particles that convert energy into directed motion. A good example are swimming microorganisms [1]. 2 This is not possible for active systems [7].
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