Carl Philip Dettmann AMusA BSc(Hons) PhD FInstP Birthplace; Music; Faith Contents of this page: Contact Research Teaching. See also my official home page .

Reader in Applied Mathematics

Research: Publications and Animations

I am interested in many aspects of chaotic dynamics (complicated solutions of simple deterministic equations), statistical mechanics (deriving large scale properties from microscopic laws) and relativity (Einstein's theory for describing objects that are very fast, hot or dense).

I am on the editorial board of Nonlinearity, and on the IoP Fellowship panel. Nonlinearity included a series of 30 Open Problems articles in 2008, which is available free online or for 15 pounds in print.

Meeting Organisation: Nonlinearity scientific meeting (London, September 2005), Dynamical Systems and Statistical Mechanics (Durham, July 2006) and Molecular Dynamics, Thermostats and Convergence to Equilibrium (Edinburgh, Nov 2008), Mathematical Billiards and Their Applications (Bristol, June 21-24, 2010; more details will be available following the outcome of a funding application).

The Riemann Hypothesis has been described as the "most important unsolved problem in mathematics". I gave a talk in Loughborough on Nov 18, 2009, RH day, in celebration of its 150th anniversary. It turns out that the circular billiard, one of the simplest dynamical systems and realisable in physical experiments, is related to this problem; see the slides (pdf) and my publications in number theory.

The Mathematical Ethnographies Project films premiered on Nov 27, 2009. They are available here; see also the news item. The "random thoughts" film included footage from my diamond billiard animation.

Undergraduate lectures: Past units: General Relativity, Statistical Mechanics, Special Relativity, Applied Mathematics 2 and Mathematical Methods.
Postgraduate lectures: Four lectures on cosmology in Oct 2003. Notes and problems (sorry no figures or solutions): ps pdf
Undergraduate research projects: Please refer to the project handbook or come and see me.
Postgraduate research: My current students are Teil Howard and Orestis Georgiou.
Prospective students should read my suggested projects here (pdf), and this web page for ideas.
To apply, use the instructions and forms on the Departmental PG admissions pages; there is also information on the Bristol University pages.

I was departmental Director of Undergraduate Studies and member of Senate 2006-9.

Dr Carl Dettmann / carl.dettmann at bris.ac.uk /