Sections are listed below with representative specific topics. The listing of topics is not complete, and if a specific topic is not listed authors should suggest the section they consider most appropriate. The editors may choose to assign papers to a section other than that suggested by the authors.
Statistical Physics
| Probability theory, stochastic processes, and statistics |
| Classical field theories |
| Classical statistical mechanics |
| Quantum statistical mechanics |
| Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, noise, and Brownian motion |
| Lattice theory and statistics (Ising, Potts, etc.) |
| Classical transport |
| Quantum transport |
| Classical and quantum thermodynamics |
| Other topics in statistical physics, thermodynamics, and nonlinear dynamical systems |
| Applied classical electromagnetism |
| Heat conduction |
| Random phenomena and media |
| Kinetic and transport theory of gases |
| Thermodynamic properties, equations of state (gases) |
| Mechanical properties; compressibility (gases) |
| Structure of liquids |
| General theory of equations of state and phase equilibria |
| General studies of phase transitions |
| Thermal properties of liquids |
| Quantum statistical theory (Quantum fluids) |
| Classical spin models (Models of magnetic ordering) |
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
| Nonlinear dynamics and chaos |
| Oscillations, chaos, and bifurcations |
| Pattern formation in reactions with diffusion, flow, and heat transfer |
| Patterns (complex systems) |
| Climate physics |
Networks and Complex Systems
| Self-organized systems |
| Networks |
| Chemiluminescence |
| Chemical kinetics and dynamics |
| Specific chemical reactions; reaction mechanisms |
| Atmospheric chemistry |
| Photochemistry |
| Chemical thermodynamics |
| Transportation |
| Social and economic systems |
| Systems obeying scaling laws |
| Structures and organization in complex systems |
| Networks and genealogical trees |
| Other topics of general interest to physicists |
Biological Physics
| Physiological optics |
| Physiological acoustics |
| Speech production |
| Speech perception |
| Bioacoustics |
| Transport processes and drug delivery |
| Single molecule manipulation of proteins and other biological molecules |
| Chemical kinetics in biological systems |
| Femtosecond probing of biological molecules |
| NMR of biomolecules |
| Physiological materials (e.g., blood, collagen, etc.) |
| General theory and mathematical aspects |
| Biomolecules: types |
| Biomolecules: structure and physical properties |
| Subcellular structure and processes |
| Cell processes |
| Biological complexity |
| Properties of higher organisms |
| Ecology and evolution |
| Effects of electromagnetic and acoustic fields on biological systems |
| Effects of ionizing radiation on biological systems |
| Medical imaging |
| X-ray imaging |
| Magnetic resonance imaging |
| Spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in biophysics and medical physics |
| Biophysical techniques (research methods) |
| Biomedical engineering |
| Other topics in biological and medical physics |
Soft Matter including Polymers, Liquid Crystals, and Granular Materials
| Macromolecules and polymer molecules |
| Macromolecular and polymer solutions; polymer melts |
| Polymers, elastomers, and plastics |
| Polymers, organic compounds (radiation effects) |
| Polymers, organic compounds (electrical properties of thin films) |
| Organic compounds, polymers (infrared and Raman spectra) |
| Organic compounds and polymers (visible and ultraviolet absorption and reflection spectra) |
| Polymers: properties; reactions; polymerization |
| Reptation and tube theories (rheology) |
| Polymer solutions (rheology) |
| Polymer melts (rheology) |
| Polymer blends (rheology) |
| Block copolymers (rheology) |
| Fractals; macroscopic aggregates (including diffusion-limited aggregates) |
| Solid-liquid transitions |
| Liquid-vapor transitions |
| Liquid-liquid transitions |
| Glass transitions of specific systems |
| Theory and modeling of the glass transition |
| Phase equilibria |
| Diffusion and ionic conduction in liquids |
| Viscosity of liquids; diffusive momentum transport |
| Liquids (photoluminescence) |
| Reactions in sol gels, aerogels, porous media |
| Electrochemistry and electrophoresis |
| Disperse systems; complex fluids |
| Fundamentals and theoretical (rheology) |
| Deformation and flow (rheology) |
| Electro- and magnetorheological fluids (rheology) |
| Suspensions, dispersions, pastes, slurries, colloids (rheology) |
| Emulsions and foams (rheology) |
| Physical gels and microgels (rheology) |
| Surfactant and micellar systems, associated polymers (rheology) |
| Techniques and apparatus (rheology) |
| Liquid crystals |
| Transitions in liquid crystals |
| Liquids, emulsions, and suspensions; liquid crystals |
| Liquid crystals: nematic, cholesteric, smectic, discotic, etc. (rheology) |
| Porous materials; granular materials |
| Granular solids (rheology) |
Mechanics, Interfaces, and Films
| General linear acoustics |
| Nonlinear acoustics |
| Ultrasonics, quantum acoustics, and physical effects of sound |
| Transduction; acoustical devices for the generation and reproduction of sound |
| Structural acoustics and vibration |
| Noise: its effects and control |
| Architectural acoustics |
| Acoustical measurements and instrumentation |
| Acoustic signal processing |
| Other topics in acoustics |
| General theory of classical mechanics of discrete systems |
| Formalisms in classical mechanics |
| Control of mechanical systems |
| Theoretical studies (static elasticity) |
| Vibrations and mechanical waves |
| Fracture mechanics, fatigue, and cracks (continuum mechanics of solids) |
| Application of continuum mechanics to structures |
| Other topics in continuum mechanics of solids |
| Deformation and plasticity |
| Structural failure of materials (mechanical properties of solids) |
| Methods of crystal growth; physics and chemistry of crystal growth, crystal morphology, and orientation |
| Friction, lubrication, and wear |
| Nucleation |
| Gas-liquid and vacuum-liquid interfaces |
| Liquid-liquid interfaces |
| Liquid-solid interfaces |
| Liquid thin films |
| Langmuir-Blodgett films on liquids |
| Microscopy of surfaces, interfaces, and thin films |
| Chemisorption/physisorption: adsorbates on surfaces |
| Langmuir-Blodgett films on solids, polymers on surfaces, biological molecules on surfaces |
| Whiskers and dendrites (growth, structure, and nonelectronic properties) |
| Theory and models of film growth |
| Liquid phase epitaxy; deposition from liquid phases (melts, solutions, and surface layers on liquids) |
| Thermodynamics of nucleation |
| Surface and interface chemistry; heterogeneous catalysts at surfaces |
Fluid Dynamics
| Channel and internal heat flow |
| Boundary layer heat flow |
| Natural convection (heat transfer) |
| Forced convection (heat transfer) |
| Heat flow in porous media |
| General theory in fluid dynamics |
| Laminar flows |
| Flow instabilities |
| Turbulent flows |
| Vortex dynamics; rotating fluids |
| Hydrodynamic waves |
| Compressible flows; shock waves |
| Rarefied gas dynamics |
| Non-Newtonian fluid flows |
| Mixing |
| Chaos in fluid dynamics |
| Fractals in fluid dynamics |
| Pattern selection; pattern formation (fluid dynamics) |
| Multiphase and stratified flows |
| Flows through porous media |
| Flows phenomena in quasi-one-dimensional systems |
| Micro- and nano- scale flow phenomena |
| Biological fluid dynamics |
| Magnetohydrodynamics and electrohydrodynamics |
| Reactive and radiative flows |
| Relativistic fluid dynamics |
| Other topics in fluid dynamics |
| Sonoluminescence, triboluminescence |
Plasma Physics
| Plasma dynamos |
| Electrical properties (ionization, breakdown, electron and ion mobility, etc.) (gases) |
| Magnetic properties (gases) |
| Optical and dielectric properties (gases) |
| Elementary processes in plasma |
| Plasma properties |
| Basic studies of specific kinds of plasmas |
| Plasma dynamics and flow |
| Waves, oscillations, and instabilities in plasmas and intense beams |
| Laser-plasma interactions |
| Plasma interactions (nonlaser) |
| Plasma production and heating |
| Magnetic confinement and equilibrium |
| Laser inertial confinement |
| Other confinement methods |
| Intense particle beams and radiation sources |
| Plasma simulation |
| Plasma diagnostic techniques and instrumentation |
| Laboratory studies of space- and astrophysical-plasma processes |
| Plasma devices |
| Electric discharges |
| Other topics in physics of plasmas and electric discharges |
| Space plasma physics |
| Plasma temperature and density (ionosphere) |
| Plasma motion; plasma convection; particle acceleration (ionosphere) |
| Plasma waves and instabilities (ionosphere) |
| Plasma interactions with dust and aerosols (ionosphere) |
| MHD waves, plasma waves, and instabilities (magnetosphere) |
| Plasma motion; plasma convection (magnetosphere) |
| Plasma sheet (magnetosphere) |
| Plasmasphere (magnetosphere) |
| Instrumentation for space plasma physics, ionosphere, and magnetosphere |
| Other topics in space plasma physics, physics of the ionosphere and magnetosphere |
| Magnetohydrodynamics and plasmas (astrophysics) |
| Interactions with solar wind plasma and fields (comets and small bodies) |
| Plasma and MHD instabilities (comets and small bodies) |
| Solar wind plasma; sources of solar wind |
| MHD waves; plasma waves, turbulence (interplanetary physics) |
Computational Physics, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence
| Numerical approximation and analysis |
| Computational techniques; simulations |
| Computational methods in statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics |
| Computers in experimental physics |
| Computational methods in classical mechanics |
| Computational methods in continuum mechanics |
| Computational methods in fluid dynamics |
| Image processing (including source extraction) |
| Mathematical procedures and computer techniques |
| Time series analysis, time variability |
| Neural networks (electronics) |
