The evolution of interdisciplinarity in physics research
Abstract
Science, being a social enterprise, is subject to fragmentation into groups that focus on specialized areas or topics. Often new advances occur through cross-fertilization of ideas between sub-fields that otherwise have little overlap as they study dissimilar phenomena using different techniques. Thus to explore the nature and dynamics of scientific progress one needs to consider the large-scale organization and interactions between different subject areas. Here, we study the relationships between the sub-fields of Physics using the Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme (PACS) codes employed for self-categorization of articles published over the past 25 years (1985-2009). We observe a clear trend towards increasing interactions between the different sub-fields. The network of sub-fields also exhibits core-periphery organization, the nucleus being dominated by Condensed Matter and General Physics. However, over time Interdisciplinary Physics is steadily increasing its share in the network core, reflecting a shift in the overall trend of Physics research.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1206.0108,
title = {The evolution of interdisciplinarity in physics research},
author = {Raj Kumar Pan and Sitabhra Sinha and Kimmo Kaski and Jari Saramäki},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1206.0108},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
Published version, 10 pages, 8 figures + Supplementary Information