

Abstract for the talk on 15.11.2016 (17:00 h)
Colloquium of the Faculty of Physics and GeosciencesStefan Kehrein (Universität Göttingen)
From Boltzmann to black holes - many-particle systems in non-equilibrium
The Boltzmann distribution is the starting point for the description of equilibrium many-
particle systems in statistical mechanics textbooks. For isolated many-particle systems the
situation is actually both more complicated and more interesting than alluded to by
conventional textbook treatments. This colloquium presents a closer look at the
foundations of statistical mechanics; a topic that has seen a lot of interest in the past
decade triggered by experiments on cold atomic gases. There is a plethora of interesting
phenomena associated with this question ranging from the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou
problem to spin echo experiments, the Unruh effect and black holes. I will give an
overview of some key questions, current answers and future directions of research.