Computational Problems in Physics - CPiP 2005
Helsinki, May 23 - 27, 2005

Workshop description

The workshop on Computational Problems in Physics concentrates on new numerical challenges and approaches in computational physics. The five days workshop attracts about 60 physicists and applied mathematicians from a wide range of backgrounds to work on a few selected new problems. Participants of this first workshop will be researchers and PhD students especially from the Nordic countries.

The preselected problems are attacked in working groups. Adapting this model to the topic of the workshop means

• Concentrating on a few fresh challenging and topical problems
• Exploiting the expertise of leading computational physicists, applied mathematicians, and numerical analysts
• Clarifying and clearly formulating the problems
• Bringing new perspectives and fresh ideas
• Brainstorming in groups on phenomena and methodologies
• Finding state-of-the-art or new solution procedures
• Training of people of different fields to work together

In addition, a series of lectures on recent research topics relevant to the problems will be presented by experts in the field.

The workshop will also serve as a research training course for PhD students and post-docs.

We belive that bringing together computational physicists, applied mathematicians, and numerical analysts to work a week on a set of new computational problems in physics will have wider benefits including:

• Finding new solution methods and procedures for wider problem classes
• Establishing lasting and productive working links for future research
• Raising new research issues of long-term significance
• Stimulating greater awareness in the wider community of the power and (current) limits of computational methods

Program structure

On the first day of the workshop, the problems are outlined by people who have encountered them and have special interest for finding solutions.

The next three days are devoted to brainstorming, modelling and solving the problems. Participants are free to apply their expertise to any of the projects. Concurrently with the workshop a series of lectures will be run providing wider background material on computational research topics related to the problems.

On the last day, the progress and recommended routes forward are presented. Reports on the problems and the achieved progress are produced within two months after the meeting.

See also the tentative schedule