Soft Matter Dynamics

Our images of organized soft matter, e.g. polymers, colloids, are dominated by static structures that provide only snapshots of the possible conformations. Since the typical energies are of the order of the thermal energy, soft matter is amenable to large fluctuations. Structural dynamics are essential for material function. The study of molecular motions over broad time and spatial ranges challenges both experimentalists and theoreticians. Three selected topics from ongoing projects should exemplify such challenges.