Dynamics far from equilibrium

We are studying several non-equilibrium and active processes that can serve as well controlled models of biological processes, where pattern formation, instabilities and active processes play together to form interesting structures by self-organization. An example of this is shown below, where a visco-elastic ferro-fluid interacts with a strong permanent magnet. 

In the absence of driving, many non-equilibrium processes are short-lived due to the presence of gravity. We are using diamagnetic levitation to counteract this and thus access the long-term undisturbed behaviour of the system for an increased understanding of its dynamics.