Soft Report - Dipartimento di Fisica - Sapienza

IntroductionSOFT is a CRS (Centro di Ricerca e Sviluppo) of INFM (now INFM-CNR) devoted tothe investigation of complex dynamics in structured systems.The aim of the research centre is the investigation of the dynamics in SoftCondensed Matter systems, i.e. those materials which are easily deformable byexternal fields (mechanical, electric, magnetic, ...). These materials typicallypossess structures which are larger than atomic or molecular scales; the structure(and often the supra-molecular structure), together with the dynamics at themesoscopic scales, determines unusual macroscopic physical properties. Softmaterials are of basic importance in material science because, once the relationsbetween structural and dynamical properties are known, their macroscopicproperties can be tailored. We study both synthetic and self-assembled (includingbiological) materials, as well as other physical systems in which the interactionamong the components gives rise to an emergent complex dynamics.Founded in June 2004 by INFM (Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia), andnow part of CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), SOFT headquarters are at theDepartment of Physics of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, but many otherlaboratories are based in different Universities (Camerino, Firenze, L’Aquila, Parma,Perugia, Pisa and Trento) and an important part of the activities takes place at theOperative Group in Grenoble (OGG).The first two years of operation of SOFT have resulted in an impressivedevelopment of activities. SOFT is a very lively environment: different new researchgroups joined, excellent young researchers and students from the Laurea and PhDcourses in Physics have been actracted, the laboratories have been significativelyimproved, and important scientific results have been achieved. An overview of thescientific results can be found in the “Scientific Reports” section of this booklet; thelist of publications is also included.The setting up of SOFT was made possible thanks to INFM and to the Departmentof Physics of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, which hosts part of the CRS.The development of SOFT has benefited by internal (INFM) and external fundingfrom different international and national agencies, including the EuropeanCommission and the Italian Ministry for Research.This report summarizes the activities of the CRS SOFT in the first two and an halfyears of life (June 2004-December 2006), and offers a picture of SOFT as it is now(December 2006).Roma, December 2006Giancarlo Ruocco7 SOFT Scientific Report 2004-06