news

Is there a contradiction between quantum theory and thermodynamics? On the surface, yes - but at TU Wien, researchers have now shown how the two fit together perfectly. It is one of the most important laws of nature that we know: The famous second law of thermodynamics says that the world gets more and more disordered, when random chance is at play.

Helping out your neighbor or minding your own business? A challenging choice with different benefits for each decision. Game theory provides guidance in making such choices - from a theoretical perspective. Novel findings by Jakub Svoboda and Krishnendu Chatterjee at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) reveal new network structures that enhance cooperation throughout a system.

ISTA researchers investigate why graph isomorphism algorithms seem to be so effective Graphs are everywhere. In discrete mathematics, they are structures that show the connections between points, much like a public transportation network. Mathematicians have long sought to develop algorithms that can compare any two graphs.

Abstract algebra and algebraic geometry to connect quantum physics with number theory Several fields of mathematics have developed in total isolation, using their own 'undecipherable' coded languages. In a new study published in PNAS , Tamás Hausel, professor of mathematics at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), presents "big algebras," a two-way mathematical 'dictionary' between symmetry, algebra, and geometry, that could strengthen the connection between the distant worlds of quantum physics and number theory.

A simple concept of decay and fission of "magnetic quivers" helps to clarify complex quantum physics and mathematical structures.

Scientists at ISTA present a new mathematic model for cooperation Human coexistence depends on cooperation. Individuals have different motivations and reasons to collaborate, resulting in social dilemmas, such as the well-known prisoner's dilemma. Scientists from the Chatterjee group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now present a new mathematical principle that helps to understand the cooperation of individuals with different characteristics.

A world record in solving satisfiability problems was achieved at the Vienna University of Technology - it is quite abstract, but the technology behind it is extremely important for hardware and software industries . Suppose Alice, Bob, and Carla answer a question. Each of the three answers is either correct or incorrect.

Tiny hairs on cell walls, so-called -cilia-, can move in unison to pump fluid. Now there finally is a physical theory describing these hairs' movements. They are only very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs (cilia) are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or in our brain.

By Birgit Baustädter Discrete mathematics is so much more than just "the language of computer science", as it is often referred to. But it is not "discrete" in the usual sense. Points are particularly discrete. Discrete mathematics derives from the Latin discernere, which means "to separate". "Discrete mathematics is about delimited or clearly separated objects - such as points, lines or sequences of integers," explains Oswin Aichholzer, a computer scientist at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz).

Three-dimensional (3D) configurations of atoms dictate all materials properties. Quantitative predictions of accurate equilibrium structures, 3D coordinates of all atoms, from a chemical graph, a representation of the structural formula, is a challenging and computationally expensive task which is at the beginning of practically every computational chemistry workflow.

Computational design of novel protein structures is a promising tool to make superior biological materials with tailor-made properties, new pharmaceuticals or complex fine chemicals. Over the last two years research in my group focused on developing methods to design and functionalize de novo proteins.

By Cornelia Kröpfl BA MA 30 years ago, data security was a niche topic. Today, researchers at TU Graz are laying the foundations for a completely new way of thinking about security. Including future developments. Not so long ago, the mobile phone was primarily used to store contact data. Today, smartphones know where we are and what media we read.

By Birgit Baustädter Oswin Aichholzer does basic research - he doesn't invent, he discovers. The theoretical computer scientist is on the trail of basic mathematical rules which he can model and teach the computer. Oswin Aichholzer is wearing a light blue pullover, has a headset on, and is sitting in front of the computer.

String art is a technique for the creation of visual artwork where images emerge from a set of strings that are spanned between pins. Now, at TU Wien (Vienna) this work can be delegated to a robot - an example of a complex task that digital fabrication can solve. The basic idea of string art is simple: hooks distributed on a frame are connected by strings back and forth until they fuse to a perceptible image.

By Siegfried Hörmann With increasing complexity and the rapidly growing amount of data collected in almost all areas of our life, it becomes more difficult to draw meaningful conclusions and to filter relevant information. The field of statistics has seen a big upsurge due to such new challenges. My research is devoted to some of these challenges.

By Birgit Baustädter Biomechanical engineer Justyna Niestrawska investigates the mechanical behaviour of the aorta at TU Graz and represents it using mathematical formulas. And wins the German Aorta Prize while doing so. What has mechanical engineering got in common with the human body? Can you explain biological processes like the operations of a machine? The biomechanical engineer Justyna Niestrawska can answer these questions - straight out of her daily work.

TU Wien and Sandoz GmbH have successfully implemented a real-time computer simulation of the complex growth behaviour of penicillin producing organisms. This simulation now helps to keep the production process under control. For thousands of years, micro-organisms have been used to facilitate chemical reactions - in beer brewing, for example.

Can we teach ethical behaviour to machines' Computer Scientists in Vienna are studying ancient Sanskrit texts and using the tools of mathematical logic to describe ethical rules. The Indian sacred texts of the Vedas have been studied for millennia. But now, for the first time in history, computer scientists in Vienna analyse them by applying the methods of mathematical logic.

An answer to a quantum-physical question provided by the algorithm Melvin has uncovered a hidden link between quantum experiments and the mathematical field of Graph Theory. Researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna found the deep connection between experimental quantum physics and this mathematical theory in the study of Melvin's unusual solutions, which lies beyond human intuition.

A new cloaking technology has been developed at TU Wien: a special kind of material is irradiated from above in such a way that another beam of light can pass completely uninhibited. The material is irradiated with a specially designed pattern, the wave from the left can pass through the object completely unperturbed.