MPPL Lecture – Chapin Korosec (York University)

Date: Mon. April 7th, 2025, 12:45 pm-1:45 pm
Location: Rockefeller 221 (Foldy Room)

MPPL Lecture #1 (Monday, April 17, 12:45-2pm, Rockefeller 221)

A Physicist’s Toolbox for Particle Trajectory Analysis: From Motion to Mechanism

Abstract: This technical talk presents a foundational toolbox for analyzing the motion of particles in complex systems. It is the talk I wish I had heard at the beginning of my PhD in biophysics. We begin by briefly introducing trajectory acquisition, but quickly shift to the core physical analysis tools that unlock meaning from motion. We derive and compare multiple forms of the mean squared displacement (MSD), discuss how to distinguish normal, anomalous, and superballistic regimes, and explore what MSD scaling reveals about underlying forces, heterogeneities, and energy landscapes. We also highlight the use of higher moments (e.g. kurtosis) to detect non-Gaussianity and ergodicity breaking. We then briefly introduce an approach to passive microrheology, using Laplace and Fourier transforms of MSD to infer viscoelastic moduli, and explain how to reconstruct potential energy landscapes using the Boltzmann inversion formula. This talk is designed to serve as a theoretical and practical starting point for anyone working with particle trajectories, particularly in biological, biophysical, soft matter, or disordered systems.

[CHAPIN KOROSEC, PhD, York University, Toronto, Canada, has been named the winner of this year’s MICHELSON POSTDOCTORAL PRIZE, and will spend one week in residence during the week of April 7, 2025, on the Case Western Reserve University campus. This year marks the 26th annual MICHELSON POSTDOCTORAL PRIZE LECTURESHIP, awarded each year to a junior scholar active in any field of physics. As part of his residency, Dr. Korosec will deliver two (2) technical lectures and a colloquium.  The lectureship also carries an honorarium of $3,000 plus travel expenses.]