{"688384":{"#nid":"688384","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Aryaman Jha","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDoctor of Philosophy in\u0026nbsp;Physics\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Physics\u0026nbsp;Thesis Dissertation Defense\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAryaman Jha\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Jorge Laval, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Advisor)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Kurt Wiesenfeld, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology (Co-advisor)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpace-time percolation methods for lattice models of vehicular traffic: theory and computation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDate: Thursday, March 5, 2026\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETime: 11:00 a.m.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELocation: Howey N110\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVirtual: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/99642305500?pwd=rKTDcg9DYpVomo2fAWwcVYC3N6fhyZ.1\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/99642305500?pwd=rKTDcg9DYpVomo2fAWwcVYC3N6fhyZ.1\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeeting ID: 996 4230 5500 \/ Passcode: 543200\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee members:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Peter Yunker,\u0026nbsp;School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Harold Kim, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Predrag Cvitanovi\u0107,\u0026nbsp;School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnalysis of nonequilibrium systems lacks a general theory, thus it is useful to explore alternate approaches. Methods for analyzing empirical traffic developed in traffic-flow theory differ significantly from those used to study traffic models in statistical physics. These methods treat space and time on a more equal footing and analyze quantities such as total jam delay not typically studied in physics. This suggests traffic-flow methods may offer a useful perspective for analyzing transport models in physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMotivated by questions arising in traffic-flow theory, we study a simple traffic model, elementary cellular automaton rule 184 (ECA 184). Interpreting congestion in its space\u2013time representation as a connected-cluster problem, we numerically analyze the finite-size statistics of jam structures and find scaling behavior consistent with a percolation transition. Key observables, including total delay, relaxation time, and jam lifetimes, exhibit consistent scaling. We also define structures called elementary jams, which greatly simplify the computation of observables and suggest an underlying space\u2013time structure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMotivated by this numerical evidence for a percolation-like transition in space\u2013time jamming, we develop an analytic description of the transient dynamics of ECA 184. The problem is reformulated in terms of a height function constructed from the initial condition, where macroscopic observables such as total delay and relaxation time, along with microscopic jam statistics, can be expressed as geometric properties of the height function. Their scaling under specific transformations reproduces the numerical exponents and finite-size scaling forms. This approach also admits a renormalization-group interpretation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFinally, we apply the same space\u2013time clustering analysis to the two-dimensional Biham\u2013Middleton\u2013Levine (BML) model of city traffic, where preliminary results suggest a continuous phase transition not previously reported.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpace-time percolation methods for lattice models of vehicular traffic: theory and computation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Space-time percolation methods for lattice models of vehicular traffic: theory and computation"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-02-19 16:13:41","changed_gmt":"2026-02-19 16:14:22","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-03-05T11:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2026-03-05T13:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-03-05T13:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-03-05 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-03-05 18:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-03-05 18:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Howey N110 ","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}