Please see the Prato meeting web site for details concerning registration, acceptance, venue, accommodation, etc.

Langevin noise [1] is the standard description for thermal fluctuations in equilibrium. In 1957, Landau and Lifshitz (LL) [2] solved the problem of applying the formalism to a Navier-Stokes continuum fluid. The subject has found renewed interest in the computer simulation community with the advent and refinement of "mesoscopic" techniques like Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) and Smoothed Dissipative Particle Dynamics (SDPD) [3], Multi-Particle Collision Dynamics (MPCD) [4], the Lattice Boltzmann (LB) method [5], and (more recently) direct numerical solution of the discretized LL equations [6]. 

As documented in the literature, there has been significant progress in the field, but some issues need further improvement. These include: (i) issues of thermodynamic consistency (for example, there are still deep fundamental problems when attempting to apply LL noise to multiphase LB methods [7]); (ii) convergence to the continuum limit; and (iii) the role of non-hydrodynamic degrees of freedom. A synoptic view on all the existing complementary methods will be very helpful.

The meeting aims at bringing together researchers with different and complementary backgrounds, ranging from physicists to chemical engineers and applied mathematicians, who are experts in their respective fields. The goal is to promote the efficient application of advanced numerical methods through a deep understanding of the physical and mathematical background. It is anticipated that a discussion of the relevant questions will lead to a comparison of observations, a sharing of procedures, and foster new collaborations among a multidisciplinary group of scientists and engineers working on an important contemporary problem.

The format of the meeting is planned as a two-day tutorial, followed by a two-day workshop.