Introduction to Theoretical Soft Matter Physics

The lecture provides an introduction into the statistical physics of soft matter systems, which are well known from everyday life and form the basis of living organisms. Characteristic for soft matter are length scales intermediate between atomic and macroscopic scales, thermal fluctuations, and self-assembly. In the lecture, these characteristic aspects will be investigated in exemplary systems such as polymers, proteins, and membranes. The lecture includes simple models for these systems, as well as an introduction into atomistic modeling and molecular dynamics simulations.