The scientific work of Professor Marko Robnik is
in the wide domain of theoretical physics, and it began in 1978 in the field of
mathematical
physics, kinetic theory and fluid mechanics at the University of Ljubljana,
followed by theoretical astrophysics at the University of Bonn, mainly
treating physical processes in astrophysics, and
nonlinear dynamics of classical and quantum chaos, later also at the University
of Bristol,
England, Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics
in Heidelberg, Germany, and Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of
California at
Santa Barbara, USA, in 1989. Since then he is
working mainly on classical and quantum chaos, and mathematical physics.
Marko Robnik
is
best known
for his seminal work, together with M. Berry, on energy level spacing
distribution in quantized Hamiltonian systems with generic,
mixed phase
space where regular and chaotic motion can coexist. In another seminal paper he
clarified the role of anti-unitary symmetry in
statistics
of energy levels, and proposed popular Aharonov-Bohm quantum billiard models. A
particularly simple and appealing billiard model
whose shape
is given as a conformal quadratic mapping of a unit disk is often known as
Robnik billiard. He is
the founder
of the CAMTP -
Center for Applied Mathematics and
Theoretical Physics, at the University of Maribor, in 1990.
CAMTP was founded when he returned to Slovenia from the Institute of
Theoretical Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA.
With the great moral and financial support of the
Slovenian Government on the one hand, and the operational support by the Rector
Professor
Alojz Križman at the time on the other hand, the Center
started its scientific research activities in September 1990. It became an
independent
research institution and legal entity in July
1991, but still academically part of the University of Maribor. Professor Marko
Robnik is the director
of the institute since the foundation.
The main purpose of the Center is to carry out research in theoretical physics
and applied mathematics, mainly in nonlinear dynamics, and also
to educate young researchers, PhD students, and
also to organize scientific meetings, mainly international, but also elite
national meetings with
strong international participation. The Center is
small by the number of members but nevertheless very active, at the moment
(January 2014)
it has nine members, from four countries.
So far at CAMTP five PhD students of theoretical physics have successfully
finished their PhD thesis work, among them 3 Slovenians, one from
Greece and one from Brazil. One Slovenian earned PhD in mathematics. Two more
PhD students of physics are working at CAMTP towards
earning
the PhD degree, and one in mathematics.
One should emphasize the strong international conference activities of the
Center, as it is organizing 2-3 international and high level or even world top
level conferences per year. Since 1993 the Center
has organized more than 51 scientific conferences and meetings, namely seven
series of scientific
meetings:
i. The international summer schools and
conferences Let's Face Chaos through Nonlinear Dynamics. They started them in 1993,
and had
9 so far, every three years, in Maribor, with two working weeks, with about
80-100 participants each time. The last one was on
22 June - 6 July 2014.
ii. Japan-Slovenia Seminars on Nonlinear
Science. They meet almost every year in Maribor or in
Japan, have typically 3 working days in
Maribor, and twice three days in Japan, at various top universities, in Tokyo,
Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Typically about 40-50 participants.
So far there were 13 meetings. The next one will be in October 2014 in Tokyo
and Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara).
iii. European Advanced Studies Conferences, organized in collaboration with Technical University of
Munich, Germany, and the University of
Patras, Greece, almost every year, with 3-4 working days. They had 8 so far.
They take place at various places in Europe.
iv. SOCRATES Workshops on nonlinear dynamics, so far they had five, twice in Marburg, Germany, twice in
Maribor, Slovenia, in collaboration
with Professor Hans-Jürgen Stöckmann of University of Marburg. (Later there was
one follow-up meeting in Freiburg, in Germany, independent
of CAMTP.) Each time about 30 participants for one week, typically.
v. Christmas Symposia on Physics, every year since 2002, so far 12 meetings, the next one
will be in December of 2014. There are three
working days and about 45 participants.
vi. Computer Algebra and Scientific Computing, so far three meetings (2010, 2012 and 2013), about 45
participants each time and three to
four working days.
vii. 1st Out of the Box Conference, in collaboration with the University of Maribor and Rector
Prof.Dr. Danijel Rebolj, 15-17 May 2012, with
the subtitle "Innovative Ways to Improve the Culture of Living", with
30 invited speakers, including three Nobel Prize Laureates, and 27 other
eminent
speakers, among them Prof.Dr.Dr.h.c.mult. Felix Unger, President of the EASA,
Prof.Dr.Dr.h.c.mult. Siegfried Großmann from the University of
Marburg, Germany, etc.