Annual Research Report 2012 Foreword 3
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IntelligentIntelligent solutions solutions for for complex complex problems problems AnnualAnnual Research Research Report Report 2012 2012 2 Cover figure: Simulated temperature distribution for an organic semiconductor device. A strong temperature rise is observed along the edges. Edited by Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS) Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V. Mohrenstraße 39 D – 10117 Berlin Germany ISSN 1437-7489 Berlin 2012 Fax: + 49 30 20372 303 E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: http://www.wias-berlin.de/ Annual Research Report 2012 Foreword 3 The Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics, Leibniz Institute in Forschungsver- bund Berlin e.V. (WIAS, member of the Leibniz Association), presents its Annual Report 2012. It gives a general overview of the scientific life, as well as an account of the scientific progress made in 2012. Following a more general introduction in part one, in its second part five selected scien- tific contributions, written for a broader public, highlight some results of outstanding importance. Finally, the third part presents the essential results of the research groups. Special attention was again devoted to the proper functioning of the IMU Secretariat. The eager staff of the IMU Secretariat, headed by the WIAS Deputy Director and IMU Treasurer Prof. Dr. Alexan- der Mielke, continued their work, serving mathematics and mathematicians all over the world. Meanwhile, only two years after its official opening in February 2011, the IMU Secretariat at WIAS has become a well-known and well-accepted meeting point of the worldwide mathematical com- munity, which has increased the international visibility of WIAS tremendously. In November 2012, the IMU Office Committee, whose responsibility is to monitor the performance of the IMU Secre- tariat and to report to the IMU Executive Committee, made its first visit to the secretariat. In a Prof. Dr. Jürgen Sprekels, two-day workshop, the staff of the secretariat informed the Office Committee in detail about the Director IMU Secretariat “business”. All this is only possible through the generous financial support provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Berlin Senate Department for Economy, Technology and Research; WIAS is very grateful that these two governmental institutions agreed to support the IMU Secretariat financially at equal parts. The main scientific highlight of the year 2011, the “mega-grant” (approximately 3.4 million Euros) of the Russian government for Prof. Dr. Vladimir Spokoiny, Head of the Research Group “Stochastic Algorithms and Nonparametric Statistics”, became fully operative in 2012. Prof. Spokoiny estab- lished a research team with focus on “Predictive Modelling” in the field of information technolo- gies at the renowned Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, which closely cooperates with his research group at WIAS. Another highlight of 2012 was the foundation of the Leibniz Group “Mathematical Models for Lithium-ion Batteries”, which resulted from the success of the Head of the Research Group “Ther- modynamic Modeling and Analysis of Phase Transitions”, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dreyer, in the com- petition of the Leibniz Association in the framework of the “Joint Initiative for Research and Inno- vation”. This group will strongly influence the institute’s future efforts in the field of renewable energies. A further temporary structural change in the institute became effective in the beginning of 2012 when the Young Scientists’ Group “Modeling of Damage Processes” under the leadership of Dr. Dorothee Knees and Dr. Christiane Kraus, which was founded following a recommendation of the institute’s Scientific Advisory Board, took up its work. The above group was founded as a measure of WIAS to promote women in leadership positions. The institute is committed to the implementation of the legally binding German policies and stan- dards to achieve the goal of gender equality. A “Plan of action on gender equality for the years 2012–2015” was developed, and a contract was signed to apply for the “audit berufundfamilie” Annual Research Report 2012 4 Foreword (audit job and family) seal of quality in 2013. WIAS also committed itself to implement the cascade model of the Leibniz Association and of the Joint Science Conference (GWK). Besides these important events of the year 2012, WIAS continued its scientific work, further con- solidating its leading position in the mathematical community as a center of excellence in the treatment of complex applied problems. Several scientific breakthroughs were achieved, some of which will be detailed later in this report, and WIAS has further expanded its scope into new applied problems from medicine, economy, science, and engineering, especially in its main appli- cation areas: Nano- and optoelectronics Optimization and control of technological processes Phase transitions and multifunctional materials Flow and transport processes in continua Conversion, storage, and distribution of energy Random phenomena in nature and economy Besides the international workshops organized by the institute, the number of invited lectures held by WIAS members at international meetings and research institutions, and the many renowned foreign visitors hosted by the institute, last year’s positive development is best reflected by the acquisition of grants: altogether, 42 additional co-workers (+ 9 outside WIAS; Dec. 31, 2012) could be financed from grants. Thirteen international workshops organized by WIAS evidenced the institute’s reputation and its role as an attractive meeting place for international scientific exchange and cooperation. In addi- tion, WIAS members (co-)organized numerous scientific meetings throughout the world. In addition to these “global” activities, on the “local” scale WIAS has intensified its well-establish- ed cooperation with the other mathematical institutions in Berlin, with the main attention directed toward the three Berlin universities. A cornerstone of this cooperation is the fact that in 2012, altogether six leading members of WIAS, including the director and his deputy, held WIAS-funded special chairs at the Berlin universities. The highlight of cooperation with the mathematical institutions in Berlin was also in 2012 the joint operation of the DFG Research Center MATHEON “Mathematics for key technologies” located at the Technische Universität Berlin. The DFG funding of MATHEON continues for a third period until May 2014. Until then, DFG funds exceeding 5.5 million Euros per year continue to flow into Berlin for MATHEON to be an international beacon of applied mathematics. WIAS is committed to the success of the center by providing considerable financial and personal resources: the deputy director of WIAS, Prof. Dr. Alexander Mielke, and Dr. Dorothee Knees are members of MATHEON’s Executive Board, Prof. Dr. Barbara Wagner is deputy chair of the MATHEON Council, and several members of WIAS serve as Scientists in Charge of the center’s mathematical fields or application areas. Be- sides, WIAS members participated in the management of 16 of its subprojects. In turn, on Dec. 31, 2012, 15 scientific collaborators and several student assistants employed at WIAS were funded by MATHEON. Annual Research Report 2012 Foreword 5 In the acquisition of large-scale funds, Berlin’s mathematical community has scored another big success. The joint proposal of the three Berlin universities for an “Einstein Center for Mathematics (ECMath)” was positively evaluated. As a result, the ECMath will start operations in the beginning of 2013, funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin. WIAS will be strongly involved, both scientifi- cally and financially. Another continuing success story for the mathematical community of Berlin is the “Berlin Mathe- matical School” (BMS), which was extended until 2017 in the framework of the German “Exzellenz- initiative 2012” (competition for excellence). The BMS is a graduate school for advanced math- ematical studies that brings together the capacities of all mathematical institutions in Berlin to attract excellent doctoral students from all over the world. Also in this application, members of WIAS took part as principal investigators, and many members of WIAS serve in the BMS, teaching courses and supervising doctoral students. Presently, the BMS hosts about two hundred students. Besides these major activities, and besides the cooperation with the universities through the man- ifold teaching activities of its members, WIAS initiated and participated in successful applications for Collaborative Research Centers, Priority Programs, and Research Training Groups of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Our primary aim remains unchanged: to combine fundamental research with application-oriented research, and to contribute to the advancement of innovative technologies through new scientific insights. The recent achievements give evidence that this concept, in combination with hard, con- tinuing work on scientific details, eventually leads to success. We hope that funding agencies, colleagues, and partners from industry, economy, and sciences will find this report informative and will be encouraged to cooperate with us. Berlin, in February 2013 J. Sprekels Annual Research Report 2012 6 Scientific Advisory Board Chairperson: Prof. Dr. B. Wohlmuth Technische Universität München, Faculty of Mathematics Chair of Numerical Mathematics – M2 Boltzmannstrasse 3, 85748 Garching Vice-Chairperson: Prof. DI. Dr. K. Kunisch