Scope and Topics
FQMT’24 is the next event of the series of the previous, successful Prague conferences "Frontiers of Quantum and Mesoscopic Thermodynamics". The title of the conference is historical and survives due to tradition. Today its meaning corresponds only partly to the actual topics of the FQMT'24 conference, see below.
The contributions from the previous conferences are published in Physica E, vol. 29 (1-2), 2005, Physica E, vol. 42 (3), 2010, Physica Scripta vol. T151, 2012, Physica Scripta vol. T165, 2015, Fortschritte der Physik (Progress of Physics), vol. 65, 2017, The European Physical Journal Special Topics, vol. 227, no. 15-16, 2019, The European Physical Journal Special Topics, vol. 230, no. 4, 2021, and 2023 to appear. For the history and details of the programs of the FQMT conferences, see FQMT history.
The FQMT’24 conference will be held at the traditional venue, the Pyramida Hotel, located near the Prague Castle. Its program, both scientific and social, will be, however, somewhat exceptional, to celebrate 20th anniversary of the first FQMT conference (FQMT’04). All FQMT conferences have been held in Prague and their welcome parties have been always organized in the Wallenstein Palace, the seat of the Czech Senate.
- Non-equilibrium quantum phenomena
- Foundations of quantum physics
- Quantum measurement, vacuum, entanglement, coherence
- Dissipation, dephasing, noise, decoherence
- Many body physics, quantum field theory
- Quantum simulations
- Quantum optics
- Optoelectronics, plasmonics
- Imaging, quantum sensors
- Physics of quantum information and computing
- Statistical physics, thermodynamics, quantum heat engines
- Physics of active matter, molecular motors
- Topological states of quantum matter, quantum phase transitions
- Macroscopic quantum behavior, cold atoms and molecules
- Mesoscopic, nano-electromechanical and nano-optical systems
- Biological systems, organoids, quantum biology
- Neural networks, artificial intelligence
- Cosmology, gravitation, astrophysics
You can find the text about the motivations for goals, topics and program of the FQMT'24 conference here.
The main goal of the conference is traditional: To contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of quantum systems out of equilibrium. To reach this aim we also need to include studies and improve our knowledge of systems in equilibrium and steady state situations. The conference will thus address foundations of quantum physics, quantum many body physics, statistical physics, and thermodynamics relying on the theoretical and experimental methods of condensed matter physics and quantum optics. The systems considered will be mainly on the order of mesoscopic (nanoscale) size and include those of both artificial and natural origin.
Special attention will be given to non-equilibrium quantum systems, physics of information and physics of biological systems. Subjects from astrophysics, gravitation or cosmology related to the above scope will also be included.
The aim of FQMT’24 conference is to create a bridge between researchers from the fields of physics and related disciplines as covered by the above conference topics.
Following the tradition of the FQMT conferences, FQMT’24 will again bring together a unique combination of both young and experienced scientists across a disciplinary spectrum covering the above-mentioned topics. The interdisciplinary character of the conference will be supported by the choice of key speakers who, apart from their specializations, are not only able to report specific results within their fields, but are also able to discuss the state of the art of their fields from the standpoint of a broader perspective of overlap with other fields. It is an objective to gather important scientists from overlapping branches of physics who can mutually benefit from the exchange of different views and ideas, experiences from studies of many different systems and various theoretical and experimental approaches to the study of current problems in physics. It is intended that this arrangement of the scientific program of the conference will again significantly contribute to the formulation of challenging questions and problems, as well as their related answers that are nowadays essential to improve the understanding of the foundations of quantum physics, many body physics, quantum statistical physics of systems far from equilibrium, the physics of nanoscale and biological systems, and further, will motivate new collaboration and intensive discussions between experts from differing fields of physics, chemistry, and biology.
An encompassing social program includes a number of social events and tours enabling participants to enjoy not only physics but also Prague during the conference, in a way hardly available to common visitors of Prague. Hence for accompanying persons, this is an opportunity for a very rare experience of this city.
Participants of FQMT'24 conference and their partners will have an exceptional opportunity to spend some time in the Wallenstein Palace, nowadays the Seat of the Senate of the Czech Republic. They will enjoy the large Baroque Garden of the Wallenstein Palace with its beautiful Sala Terrena for discussions during the evening welcome party. A guided tour will be organized through the huge Baroque complex of the Wallenstein Palace. This will be a unique experience by itself, since it is difficult to see all these places under ordinary circumstances.
In keeping with the multidisciplinary character of the scientific program, the cultural richness of the city of Prague and the tradition of the previous FQMT conferences, the FQMT’24 program will feature concerts performed by world-class musicians, held at outstanding venues of the city. The list of these places will likely include e.g. Dvořák's Hall of the Rudolfinum (the seat of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and famous by concerts of Prague Spring Festival), the Gothic Cathedral of St. Vitus at Prague Castle (one of the symbols of the Czech Lands), the Baroque St. Margaret Church at the Břevnov Monastery or the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at the Strahov Monastery. The scientific, the fine arts, and the musical programs are intended as a complement to one another, where scientists, historians of the arts and musicians are encouraged to mingle and share their knowledge and experience.
The encompassing social programs include tours and a number of very special events unavailable to the general tourist.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary and taking into account of the recently increasing interests in robots and artificial intelligence issues, we intend to organize an exhibition devoted to the brothers Čapek who introduced to the world the word robot. The exhibition of some works of Josef Čapek in the Pyramida hotel (he was the foremost Czech painter as well as a writer and journalist and was very instrumental also for texts of his brother) will be accompanied by the exhibition of some books of Karel Čapek and possible by a special talk related to the work of the brothers Čapek and their followers. Karel Čapek wrote several influential books dealing with important ethical problems which are especially important nowadays. As Arthur Miller pointed out: “It is time to read Čapek again for his insouciant laughter and the anguish of human blindness that lies beneath it”. Especially significant is the play Rossum’s Universal Robots (known worldwide as R.U.R), where the word Robot (designed by Čapek brothers during their discussions about the play) appeared for the first time. As Kurt Vonnegut said about this play: “One of the great plays of the twentieth century by a great writer of the past who speaks to the present in a voice brilliant, clear, honorable, blackly funny and prophetic”.
You can find the text summarizing the scope, topics, history and committees of the FQMT'24 in the Zero Announcement.