The UniCIPS project, led by Kirone Mallick of the IPhT (CEA-CNRS) with Olivier Bénichou and Aurélien Grabsch of Sorbonne University (France) and Benjamin Doyon of Kings College London (England), aims to discover a universal law describing the behavior of interacting particle systems out of equilibrium, i.e. when they exchange matter or energy with their environment.
These systems are ubiquitous but remain poorly understood today, as the “classical” laws of physics are difficult to apply to them.
A recent breakthrough has already shown, for certain systems, the existence of a single, closed equation that can be used to describe them. The project aims to extend this discovery in order to establish a unified theoretical framework in non-equilibrium physics. The expected general law could then apply to all situations where a system interacts with its environment, from electron transport to cell movement and surface growth, but also at much more macroscopic scales.
Congratulations to Kirone and his collaborators!
ERC 2025 Synergy Grants winnners
Highlights: CEA, CEA/DRF, CNRS/Physique