Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

The Peierls barrier is an observable which characterizes whether the the set minimizers with a prescribed frequency of a periodic variational problem form a continuum or have gaps. In solid state physics Peierls barrier characterizes whether ground states with a fixed density are pinned or are able to slide. The Peierls barrier is a microscopic explanation of static friction. Remarkably, in dynamical systems, Peierls barrier appears also as characterizing whether KAM circles break down into Cantor sets. Hence, the Peierls barrier has been investigated both by physicists and by mathematicians using a variety of methods. We plan to cover the basic definitions of the variational models and some of the basic results obtainedfrom the 80's.