Quantum mechanics and statistical physics use very similar and inter-connected concepts. E.g., the latter is concerned with distribution and probabilities, while the former operates with wave functions and amplitudes. Even the essential equations, master and Shrodinger, appear to be similar:

\begin{equation} \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d} t} \psi(t) = H \psi(t) \quad\text{and} \quad i \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d} t} \psi(t) = H\psi(t) . \end{equation}

The only difference is the imaginary factor i! But these similarities lie just on the surface...

You can read more about it in a draft paper by J. C. Baez and J. Biamonte [1]. Please be sure to buy one, if you like and if it becomes available! Currently you can get from the arXiv website (see the references section).

References

• J. C. Baez, J. Biamonte. A Course on Quantum Techniques for Stochastic Mechanics. 2012. arXiv: 1209.3632 [quant-ph].

Topic: "Physics is not a risk: Brief introduction into the Physics of Risk"

Speaker: Aleksejus Kononovicius

Briefly: Social sciences have accomplished many different things. Yet it should be evident that there is a place for improvements - to look into the old and new social problems a bit differently. As many of the social problems are strongly non-linear and very complex, the physicists' point of view is very useful. This, new, point of view is known as Physics of Risk.

When? 18th of October, 17:00.

Where? VU Faculty of Physics (Saulėtekio al. 9, III rūmai, Vilnius), 201 auditorium.

Organized by: VU Faculty of Physics Students Scientific Association.

Facebook event: here.

Slides: download (in Lithuanian).

The simplest ecological system can be constructed from the two interacting species, e.g., prey and predator. This kind of system is very interesting in the terms of Physics of Risk primarily because it is nonlinear [1], and due to being real life example of competition (conflict). Also there are few known simple models for the prey-predator interaction. Among them there are both macroscopic, Lotka-Volterra equations, and microscopic, agent-based, models. In this text we continue the previous discussion by considering the agent-based model.

The simplest ecological system can be constructed from the two interacting species, e.g., prey and predator. This kind of system is very interesting in the terms of Physics of Risk primarily because it is nonlinear [1], and due to being real life example of competition (conflict). Also there are few known simple models for the prey-predator interaction. Among them there are both macroscopic, Lotka-Volterra equations, and microscopic, agent-based, models. We will start our discussion from the macroscopic Lotka-Volterra model.

"Chicago University" school economists claim that unemployment is purely voluntary. But what does a capuchin monkey think about it? Brief excerpt from a speech by Frans de Waal.

Blog post on EconoPhysics Forum: http://unifr.ch/econophysics/blogs/?p=156.

Blog post on Lars Syl's blog: https://larspsyll.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/inequality/.