Mathis Plapp

Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée
Ecole Polytechnique
91128 Palaiseau cedex, France
Phone: +33 1 6933 4777 Fax: +33 1 6933 4799
email: Mathis.Plapp@polytechnique.fr

That's me!

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Research projects:

My principal area of interest is the physics of crystal growth. In particular, I study theoretically and numerically the spontaneous emergence of complex structures during growth far from equilibrium. Examples for such structures include dendritic crystals such as snowflakes, the irregular metallic aggregates formed during electrochemical deposition, domains and spirals that develop during molecular beam epitaxy, and the precipitates that form during phase separation. The fundamental interest of these processes is that they furnish examples of spontaneous pattern formation and self-organization processes in relatively simple systems. Their study can help to identify and understand common basic principles and mechanisms underlying self-organization, with the hope to apply this knowledge in the future to more complex systems, in particular in biology. From the practical point of view, the structures formed during the fabrication of a material often determine its final properties. A better understanding of the pattern formation dynamics can therefore help to optimize the processing conditions.

  • More details on my research projects (with pictures ...)
  • CV
  • Publications
  • Conferences and Presentations
  • Summer school on phase field 2013
  • Some Simulation Movies
  • Just for fun: picture gallery

    • Last updated: May 12, 2005.


    French version
    Ecole Polytechnique
    Laboratoire PMC