Related papers: Energy Flows in Low-Entropy Complex Systems
Environmental science almost invariably proposes problems of extreme complexity, typically characterized by strongly nonlinear evolution dynamics. The systems under investigation have many degrees of freedom - which makes them complicated -…
The need for improved functionalities is driving the search for more complicated multi-component materials. Despite the factorially increasing composition space, ordered compounds with 4 or more species are rare. Here, we unveil the…
I describe a new method of estimating the prevalence of life in the Universe, based on the fact that more chemically complex environments are more rare. The paper makes three main claims: (1) There is a statistically significant (inverse)…
Understanding the evolution of entropy in the universe is a fundamental aspect of cosmology. This paper investigates the evolution of entropy in a spatially flat $K=0$ universe, focusing on the contributions of matter, radiation, and dark…
Entropy relates the fast, microscopic behaviour of the elements in a system to its slow, macroscopic state. We propose to use it to explain how, as complexity theory suggests, small scale decisions of individuals form cities. For this, we…
It appears that the dynamical status of clusters and groups of galaxies is related to the large-scale structure of the Universe. A few interesting trends have been established: (1) The Cluster Substructure - Alignment Connection, by which…
Chaos is widely understood as being a consequence of sensitive dependence upon initial conditions. This is the result of an instability in phase space, which separates trajectories exponentially. Here, we demonstrate that this criterion…
Self-organization is the autonomous assembly of a network of interacting components into a stable, organized pattern. This article shows that the process of self-assembly can be encoded in terms of evolutionary entropy, a statistical…
Aspects of the dynamical glass transition are considered within a mean field spin glass model. At the dynamical transition the the system condenses in a state of lower entropy. The difference, the information entropy or complexity, is…
Recently it has been demonstrated that causal entropic forces can lead to the emergence of complex phenomena associated with human cognitive niche such as tool use and social cooperation. Here I show that even more fundamental traits…
Complex systems are characterized by specific time-dependent interactions among their many constituents. As a consequence they often manifest rich, non-trivial and unexpected behavior. Examples arise both in the physical and non-physical…
Statistical description of the Universe as non-equilibrium system has been proposed. Based on two fundamental principles, i.e., the law of increasing entropy and the principle of minimum energy of the system and try to answer the question…
Consider a state of a system with several subsystems. The entropies of the reduced state on different subsystems obey certain inequalities, provided there is an equivalence relation, and a function measuring volumes or weights of…
The local Universe displays a rich hierarchical pattern of galaxy clusters and superclusters. The early Universe, however, was almost smooth, with only slight 'ripples' seen in the cosmic microwave background radiation. Models of the…
The abundance of different species in a community often follows the log series distribution. Other ecological patterns also have simple forms. Why does the complexity and variability of ecological systems reduce to such simplicity? Common…
Majority of all galaxies reside in groups of less than 50 member galaxies. These groups are distributed in various large-scale environments from voids to superclusters. Evolution of galaxies is affected by the environment in which they…
Entropy generation in quantum sytems is tied to the existence of a nonclassical environment (heat bath or other) with which the system interacts. The continuous `measuring' of the open system by its environment induces decoherence of its…
This paper describes an entropy equation, but one that should be used for measuring energy and not information. In relation to the human brain therefore, both of these quantities can be used to represent the stored information. The human…
Nature is full of random networks of complex topology describing such apparently disparate systems as biological, economical or informatical ones. Their most characteristic feature is the apparent scale-free character of interconnections…
Turbulence may appear as a complex process with a multitude of scales and flow patterns, but still obeys simple physical principles such as the conservation of momentum, of energy, and the maximum entropy principle. The latter states that…