Theory at sea 2026

Session

15 min talks - Day 1

4 Jun 2026, 16:45

Vayamundo Oostende

152. Nonthermal Fixed Points: towards hydrodynamics far from equilibrium

Matisse De Lescluze (Ghent University)

04/06/2026, 16:45

Far-from-equilibrium quantum many-body systems can exhibit universal behavior long before reaching thermal equilibrium. A prominent example is provided by Nonthermal Fixed Points, attractive dynamical regimes characterized by self-similar evolution that have been predicted in contexts ranging from early-universe cosmology to heavy-ion collisions and observed in ultracold-atom experiments.
Our...

153. First principles theory of nonlinear long-range electron-phonon interaction

Matthew Houtput (U Antwerpen)

04/06/2026, 17:00

Electron-phonon interactions are often written using the approximation of linear interaction, where one only keeps the process where one electron interacts with one phonon. This is usually sufficient to quantitatively describe material properties. However, this is no longer true in anharmonic materials with significant electron-phonon interaction, such as quantum paraelectrics and halide...

154. Inducing activity by chemo-mechanical coupling

Aaron Beyen (KU Leuven)

04/06/2026, 17:15

In biophysical systems, oriented locomotion is not imposed directly but emerges from the underlying chemistry. Molecules consume fuel, reactions proceed out of equilibrium, and somehow this chemical driving turns into persistent mechanical motion. The present work [1] addresses how to generate sustained mechanical activity from coupling to chemically driven stochastic dynamics, while...