A world-renowned French physicist will share his expertise Thursday, April 24 with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering students and colleagues.
Xavier Leoncini, Ph.D., is a full professor at Air-Marseille University near Marseille, France. He will speak on “Self-regularization in Systems with Long-Range Interactions” from 2-3 p.m. in Engineering Building Room 0145. In layman’s terms, his presentation will focus on how one particle may affect another particle that’s a far distance away, causing a unique reaction.
A physics graduate of Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, Leoncini spent four years with Professor George Zaslavsky at the Courant Institute at New York University as a post-doctoral student after receiving his Ph.D. from Air-Marseille University.
Leoncini is internationally regarded as an expert in nonlinear physics with applications in magnetized fusion plasma, nonlinear Hamiltonian Chaos, network dynamical systems and more.
The physicist’s path crossed with Albert Luo, Ph.D., professor in SIUE’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, in 2002 when Luo was asked to speak at Air-Marseille University’s international symposium. The two remained in contact through the years. At Luo’s invitation, Leoncini will visit SIUE after a speaking engagement at NYU.
“I was invited as a keynote speaker for Air-Marseille University’s chaos and transportation symposium 12 years ago,” said Luo, “on the topic, ‘Chaotic Motions in Resonant Separatrix Band (a topic within atomic physics).’ Such a motion has been observed in magnetized fusion plasma, which is one of Dr. Leoncini’s research specialties. Since that time, we’ve met at other conferences to discuss similar scenarios. We’re excited to welcome him to SIUE.”
Leoncini will give two additional lectures at SIUE during his visit:
“Particles Dynamics in Regular and Chaotic Flows, Part 1 – Particles Dynamics in Regular Flows,” will take place from 2-3 p.m. Friday, April 25 in Engineering Building Room 0145
“Particles Dynamics in Regular and Chaotic Flows, Part 1– Particles Dynamics in Chaotic Flows,” will be from 9-10 a.m. Tuesday, April 29 in Engineering Building Room 0350
In attendance at the presentation will be graduate students and faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, theoretical chemistry and bioscience.
Members of the scientific community at large are welcome to attend Leoncini’s April 24 lecture. For more information, contact the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at (618) 650-2190.
