Localization for polymers and random walks – LOCAL

Localization phenomena occur in many physical, chemical or biological systems: when subject to some interactions or constraints, objects of interest (such as electrons, polymers, ants, etc.) may localize in some atypically small region of space and/or adopt a specific shape.

Our project aims at studying different aspects of these localization phenomena, in particular for three fundamental models in probability theory:

- polymer models,
- random walks subject to constraints on their range, and
- reinforced processes.

Our goal is to describe with precision the localization properties of the different models and to explore connexions between them, but also, and maybe more importantly, to unravel the different mechanisms behind these localization phenomena.

The consortium is made of six teams based in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. The project will favor collaboration between teams, already close scientifically, and will stimulate common research projects and co-supervision of post-doctoral researchers. One conference will also be organized each year, alternatively by the different teams of the project.