SFB 1114:  Scaling Cascades in Complex Systems

• Subject Area: Mathematics ; Biology ; Chemistry ; Geosciences ; Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering ; Physics
• Term: since 2014
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 235221301

Complex processes involving cascades of scales” are ubiquitous in natural science research. Such processes feature more than two characteristic scales, their smallest and largest scales are widely separated, and much of their scale range participates in the process interactions. Such processes are often too complex to be captured in computer simulations in all detail, they withstand comprehension based on analyses of their first-principles mathematical descriptions, or they are inaccessible to experiment or observation. Addressing problems of this type calls for research that synthesises insights gained from analysis, scientific computing, experiments, and observations, thereby freely transgressing disciplinary boundaries.With mathematics at the helm but with truly interdisciplinary ambition, CRC 1114 “Scaling Cascades in Complex Systems” aims at “Methodological developments for the modeling and simulation of complex processes involving cascades of scales derived from prototypical challenges in the natural sciences”.By addressing concrete applied research questions taken primarily from the life- and geosciences, the CRC aims to move the state of knowledge in these application areas while, at the same time, developing generalisable methods of mathematical modelling and analysis for cascades-of-scales problems.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• A02 - Multiscale data and asymptotic model assimilation for atmospheric flows (Project Heads Klein, Rupert ;  Reich, Sebastian ;  Schillings, Claudia )
• A04 - Efficient calculation of slow and stationary scales in molecular dynamics (Project Heads Clementi, Ph.D., Cecilia ;  Noé, Frank ;  Schütte, Christof ;  Weikl, Thomas )
• A05 - Probing scales in equilibrated systems by optimal nonequilibrium forcing (Project Heads Hartmann, Carsten ;  Röblitz, Susanna ;  Schütte, Christof ;  Weber, Marcus )
• A08 - Characterization and prediction of quasi-stationary atmospheric states (Project Heads Engel, Maximilian ;  Koltai, Péter ;  Pfahl, Stephan )
• B03 - Multilevel coarse graining of multiscale problems (Project Heads Clementi, Ph.D., Cecilia ;  Koksch, Beate ;  Kornhuber, Ralf ;  Netz, Roland ;  Schütte, Christof )
• B05 - Origins of scaling cascades in protein dynamics (Project Heads Hartmann, Carsten ;  Heyne, Karsten ;  Imhof, Petra ;  Keller, Bettina ;  Weber, Marcus )
• B08 - Multiscale Boltzmann Generators (Project Heads Clementi, Ph.D., Cecilia ;  Noé, Frank ;  Rogal, Jutta )
• B09 - Materials with discontinuities on many scales (Project Heads Heida, Martin ;  Thomas, Marita )
• C01 - Adaptive coupling of scales in molecular dynamics and beyond to fluid dynamics (Project Heads Delle Site, Luigi ;  Höfling, Felix ;  Klein, Rupert )
• C02 - Interface dynamics: Bridging stochastic and hydrodynamic descriptions (Project Heads Mielke, Alexander ;  Netz, Roland ;  Patterson, Robert ;  Thomas, Marita )
• C03 - Multiscale modeling and simulation of spatio-temporal master equations (Project Heads Höfling, Felix ;  Netz, Roland ;  Noé, Frank ;  Schütte, Christof ;  Winkelmann, Stefanie )
• C06 - Multiscale structure of atmospheric vortices (Project Heads Baum, Daniel ;  Hege, Hans-Christian ;  Klein, Rupert ;  Pfahl, Stephan )
• C09 - Dynamics of rock dehydration on multiple scales (Project Heads John, Timm ;  Thomas, Marita )
• C10 - Numerical analysis for nonlinear SPDE models of particle systems (Project Heads Djurdjevac, Ana ;  Perkowski, Nicolas )
• Z01 - Coordination and administration (Project Heads Klein, Rupert ;  Kornhuber, Ralf ;  Noé, Frank ;  Thomas, Marita )
• Z02 - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Delle Site, Luigi ;  Kornhuber, Ralf )

Completed projects

• A01 - Coupling a multiscale stochastic precipitation model to large-scale atmospheric flow dynamics (Project Heads Koltai, Péter ;  Névir, Peter ;  Rust, Henning ;  Ulbrich, Uwe )
• A06 - Enabling Bayesian uncertainty quantification for multiscale systems and network models via mutual likelihood-informed dimension reduction (Project Head Sullivan, Ph.D., Timothy )
• A07 - Langevin dynamics of particles in membranes (Project Heads Delle Site, Luigi ;  Gräser, Carsten ;  Kornhuber, Ralf )
• B01 - Fault networks and scaling properties of deformation accumulation (Project Heads Kornhuber, Ralf ;  Mielke, Alexander ;  Oncken, Onno ;  Rosenau, Matthias )
• B02 - Polymer dynamic theories, Markov state models and protein folding free energy landscapes (Project Heads Netz, Roland ;  Noé, Frank )
• B04 - Multiscale tensor decomposition methods for partial differential equations (Project Heads Klein, Rupert ;  Schneider, Reinhold ;  Yserentant, Harry )
• B06 - Data-driven and tensor-based analysis of multiscale systems (Project Heads Eisert, Jens ;  Klus, Stefan ;  Schütte, Christof )
• B07 - Selfsimilar structures in turbulent flows and the construction of LES closures (Project Heads Klein, Rupert ;  Kutyniok, Gitta ;  Vercauteren, Nikki )
• C03 - Anomalous Michaelis-Menten kinetics in crowded environments (Project Head Höfling, Felix )
• C05 - Effective models for materials and interfaces with multiple scales (Project Heads Knees, Dorothee ;  Mielke, Alexander )
• C06 - The interaction between fronts and convective cells in the midlatitudes (Project Heads Pfahl, Stephan ;  Schielicke, Lisa )
• C08 - Stochastic spatial coagulation particle processes (Project Heads König, Wolfgang ;  Patterson, Robert )

• Applicant Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
• Participating University: Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg; Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Universität Potsdam
• Participating Institution: Zuse-Institut Berlin (ZIB) ; Department Numerical Mathematics; Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam - Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ); Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS); Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V.
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr.-Ing. Rupert Klein, until 3/2021; Professor Dr. Ralf Kornhuber, from 3/2021 until 2/2022; Professor Dr. Frank Noé, from 2/2022 until 8/2022; Professorin Dr. Marita Thomas, since 9/2022