Stories about WIAS research

New mathematical optimization methods help to make gas grids and local electricity grids more stable. Similar mathematical models can also be used for planning the operation of hydropower plants or gas reservoirs.

Like no other scientific discipline, mathematics stands out for its universal language and applicability. It allows people from different cultures to easily work together on solving problems.

The group “Probabilistic Methods for Dynamic Communication Networks”, led by Benedikt Jahnel, is researching the mathematical bases of our modern communication society. The focus is on interacting systems in which physical objects, or “things”, such as cars or sensors communicate directly with one another.

Percolation theory illuminates the behavior of many kinds of networks, from cell-phone connections to disease transmission. An article by Scientific American, citing WIAS scientist Benedikt Jahnel.

During the Corona crisis the whole world is suddenly looking not only at the research results of virologists, but also at those of mathematicians: how fast is the virus spreading through the population? What are the routes of transmission of the infection? And when can we go back to the stadium? Mathematicians at the WIAS have also been looking into the pandemic.

Arguably, one of the most important concepts in mathematics is distance. We can use distance to explain the limits of values and the convergence of abstract mathematical objects. The concept is also at the heart of many applications such as image analysis, where it is used to compare images to each other, for example.