How do waves spread, stall, or pile up in materials that are both messy and “open”—leaking energy to their surroundings?

In physics, a "disordered system" refers to a physical system whose components—e.g., its atoms—are not organized in any discernible way. Like a drawer full of random socks, a disordered system lacks a ...

The Anderson transition is a phase transition that occurs in disordered systems, which entails a shift from a diffusive state (i.e., in which waves or particles are spread out) to a localized state, ...

Disordered and frustrated systems comprise a vibrant research area in condensed matter physics with applications in fields ranging from mathematics to biology. At their core, these systems share ...

The South American Institute for Fundamental Research (ICTP-SAIFR) is organizing the São Paulo Advanced School on Disordered Systems, which will take place between April 28 and May 9, 2025, in São ...

Dynamic critical phenomena emerge when ferromagnetic materials containing random impurities or structural defects approach a phase transition or depinning threshold. In such systems the competition ...

Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is ...

Scientists have developed a new method to analyze the dynamical, out-of-equilibrium properties of complex disordered systems, such as gold with magnetic impurities or opinions spreading on social ...