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Vast amounts of data are available about complex technological systems and how we use them. These data provide the basis not only for mapping out connectivity patterns, but also for the study of dynamical phenomena, including epidemic outbreaks and routing of information through computer networks. This article reviews the fundamental tools for modelling such dynamical processes and discusses a number of applications.
Networks have proved to be useful representations of complex systems. Within these networks, there are typically a number of subsystems defined by only a subset of nodes and edges. Detecting these structures often provides important information about the organization and functioning of the overall network. Here, progress towards quantifying medium- and large-scale structures within complex networks is reviewed.
A completely ordered universe is as unexciting as an entirely disordered one. Interesting ‘complex’ phenomena arise in a middle ground. This article reviews the tools that have been developed to quantify structural complexity and to automatically discover patterns hidden between order and chaos.
Is the brain on the edge of criticality? Understanding the inner workings of the brain is a task made difficult by the number of elements involved: a hundred billion neurons and a hundred trillion synapses. Viewing the brain in terms of collective dynamics is one approach now yielding some insight.
A protein’s shape is crucial for fulfilling its function within a cell. This Review discusses how molecular dynamics simulations have given us insight into the processes that turn a linear chain of amino acids into a unique three-dimensional protein.
Viruses are protected by a protein shell known as a capsid. The mechanical properties of capsids have been the focus of intense experimental and theoretical investigation with the hope that a better understanding will open the door to new medical treatments and applications in biotechnology.
The surprising discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a material containing a strong magnet—iron—has led to thousands of publications. By placing all the data in context, it becomes clear what we know and where we are headed.
The development of compact plasma accelerators, enabled by the advent of high-power lasers, could revolutionize the use of particle beams. This review presents the physical principles that underlie such devices and provides an outlook on the possibilities.
A collection of bosonic particles, such as liquid helium or ultracold gases, can condense into a ground state in which the atoms flow as a ‘superfluid’ without scattering. Magnetic materials further illustrate the generality of the effect, as described in this review.
At a zero-temperature phase transition from one ordered state to another, fluctuations between the two states lead to quantum critical behaviour that can lead to unexpected physics. Metals with ‘heavy’ electrons often harbour such weird states.
Quantum magnetism describes systems of magnetic spins in which quantum mechanical effects dominate, often in surprising ways. This review article covers phase transitions between these states, including quantum criticality and entangled electron states.
