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Thursday, March 19, 2009
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
CNLS Conference Room (TA-3, Bldg 1690)

Postdoc Seminar

Computational and Theoretical Approaches to Discrete Minimal Energy Problems

Matthew Calef
Vanderbilt University, Mathematics Department

The classical problem of arranging a fixed number of electrons on the surface of a sphere so as to minimize the electrostatic energy is computationally and analytically difficult. The broader problem of arranging points on an arbitrary shape so as to minimize a generalized energy has yielded few results. Depending on the choice of energy, however, this problem is a relevant model for certain physical phenomena, e.g. colloid formation. Further, numerical evidence suggests that even approximate solutions could be useful for applications such as discretizing manifolds. This talk shall review some theoretical results for discrete minimal energy problems and examine current numerical techniques and challenges.