Symmetry and Mesoscopic Physics

Dear Colleagues,

Symmetry is one of the most important notions in natural science. This notion lies at the heart of fundamental laws of nature and serves as an important tool for understanding the properties of complex systems, both classical and quantum.

The other trend, which has in recent years undergone intensive development, is mesoscopic physics. This branch of physics also combines classical and quantum ideas and methods. Two main directions can be distinguished in mesoscopic physics. One is the study of finite quantum systems of mesoscopic sizes. Such systems, which are between the atomic and macroscopic scales, exhibit a variety of novel phenomena and find numerous applications in creating modern electronic and spintronic devices. At the same time, the behavior of large systems can be influenced by mesoscopic effects, which provides another direction within the framework of mesoscopic physics.

The aim of the present Special Issue is to emphasize the phenomena that lie at the crossroads between the concept of symmetry and mesoscopic physics. For example, the role of symmetry becomes apparent in the interplay between order and chaos in the classical limit, suggesting the most probable realizations of quantum equilibrium configurations of finite systems. On the other hand, the manifestation of symmetries and symmetry breaking in finite quantum systems has some peculiarities compared to macroscopic samples.

We are soliciting contributions (research and review articles) covering a broad range of topics on symmetry and mesoscopic physics, including (though not limited to) the following:

interplay between regular and chaotic dynamics in finite systems

particles confined in effective potentials of different shapes

manifestation of symmetry in the spectra of collective excitations

mesoscopic effects in large systems

local symmetry breaking

competition between order, disorder, and symmetry

possible coexistence of different types of symmetry breaking

symmetries in nanoscience

applied problems focusing on the role of symmetry in nano- and mesoscopic devices

 Guest Editor

Dr. Vyacheslav Yukalov
Dr. Rashid G. Nazmitdinov
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.