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Chair Löwen

Dr. Iman Abdoli
Postdoctoral Researcher
Institut für Theoretische Physik II - Soft Matter
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Building 25.32
Room O2.40
Universitätsstraße 1
D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
phone: +49-211-81-12745
e-mail: Iman.Abdoli <at> hhu.de

Research

My research focuses on nonequilibrium statistical physics, with a particular emphasis on chiral and anisotropic stochastic systems such as Brownian gyrators. I investigate how broken symmetries, directional fluctuations, and non-reciprocal interactions give rise to unconventional transport, emergent steady-state currents, and novel modes of organization far from equilibrium. In this context, my work spans several interconnected directions, including chiral active Brownian particles, odd-diffusive mixtures, and Brownian systems under anisotropic noise and Lorentz-like forces.

• Odd Diffusivity
  Odd-diffusive systems exhibit diffusion not only along gradients, but also perpendicular to them — similar to the curved motion of charged particles in a magnetic field. This broken time-reversal symmetry generates circulating probability currents and enables unconventional transport mechanisms beyond classical diffusion. My work explores how such transverse stochastic fluxes shape dynamics, interactions, and energy transfer at the microscale. For example, we have shown that collisions in odd-diffusive media can enhance self-diffusion via a mutual rolling mechanism (PRL 2022), Lorentz-driven Brownian system can act as a tunable heat engine and refrigerator (Sci. Rep. 2022). Recently, we have demonstrated that chiral active monomers in polymers cause spontaneous self-wrapping and folding transitions ( Newton 2025).
  
  
  
• Thermally Anisotropically Driven Systems
  In thermally anisotropic systems, different spatial directions experience different effective temperatures or noise strengths. This asymmetry breaks detailed balance and produces circulating probability currents — the hallmark of the Brownian gyrator. Such systems offer a minimal platform to study nonequilibrium energy conversion, revealing how fluctuations alone can generate directed motion, torques, and microscopic heat-engine behavior. We have shown that the efficiency of such an engine can approach Carnot performance at maximum power depending on how external mechanical loads, such as shear forces, are applied and tuned to extract work from the engin (Phys. Fluids 2025). Recently, we have demonstrated that quadrupolar steady-state gyration emerges in a ring trap, uncovering a symmetry-protected circulating flux pattern driven purely by anisotropic noise (Preprint 2025).
• Stochastic Resetting
  Stochastic resetting — intermittently returning a system to a prescribed state — is a powerful way to drive and control nonequilibrium dynamics. Resetting breaks detailed balance, creates non-Boltzmann stationary states, and reshapes transport, search, and relaxation. My work studies how resetting couples to external fields (Phys. Rev. Res. 2020), shear flows (Phys. Fluids 2024), and active/odd dynamics (Soft Matter 2021), uncovering anisotropic steady states, new scaling laws, and universal trade-offs beyond classical diffusion-resetting models.

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Curriculum Vitae

Doctoral Thesis Odd Dynamics in Diffusion Systems.

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Honours and Awards

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Selected Publications

1. I. Abdoli and H. Löwen, Quadrupolar gyration of a Brownian particle in a confining ring arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.08792
2. L. Caprini, I. Abdoli, U. M. B. Marconi and H. Löwen, Spontaneous self-wrapping in chiral active polymers Newton , 100253, (2025)
3. I. Abdoli, K. S. Olsen and H. Löwen, Shear-driven diffusion with stochastic resetting Phys. Fluids 36, 117151, (2024)
4. E. Kalz, H. Vuijk, I. Abdoli, J.U. Sommer, H. Löwen, A. Sharma, Collisions Enhance Self-Diffusion in Odd-Diffusive Systems Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 090601, (2022)
5. I. Abdoli, R. Wittmann, J. M. Brader, J.U. Sommer, H. Löwen, A. Sharma, Tunable Brownian magneto heat pump Sci. Rep. 12, 13405, (2022)