Prof. Dr. David Andelman (Tel Aviv U): Remembering Professor Rudi Podgornik: His Life and Science

In this lecture, I will review Rudi's significant contributions across five research areas: the physics of DNA; virus capsids and their packed DNA/RNA; the Casimir effect; fluctuation-induced interactions in condensed matter; and the influence of electric charge in liquids and other soft matter systems. Specifically, I will present two of his works. The first addresses the surface tension of electrolytes, a topic with a century-long history that began with the pioneering work of Onsager. Rudi's contribution reframes this problem using a field-theoretical approach that accounts for ionic specificity according to the Hofmeister series. The second topic involves utilizing the concept of charge regulation to model proteins, polyelectrolytes, and membranes. Charge regulation provides a more realistic approach to biomolecules with charges that can dissociate into the aqueous environment.
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