The Department of Applied Mathematics weekly seminar is given by scholars and researchers working in applied mathematics, broadly interpreted.
Title: Particle Growth Models in the Plane (DLA, DBM, ...)
Abstract: We'll discuss growth patterns in the plane (describing, for example, the spread of certain plants, certain chemical reactions, Lichtenberg figures, ...). The most famous such model is DLA where new particles arrive via Brownian motion and get stuck once they hit an existing particle. DLA forms the most beautiful fractal patterns (pictures will be provided). Despite this, DLA is actually fairly poorly understood and we will quickly survey the existing ideas (many of which are due to Harry Kesten and from the 1980s). I will then present a new type of growth model that behaves similarly and which can be very precisely analyzed (in certain cases). No prior knowledge is necessary and there will be lots of fun pictures!