Related papers: Nobel Lecture: Multiple equilibria
We discuss the relevance of studying ecology within the framework of Complexity Science from a statistical mechanics approach. Ecology is concerned with understanding how systems level properties emerge out of the multitude of interactions…
The Boltzmann and Gibbs approaches to statistical mechanics have very different definitions of equilibrium and entropy. The problems associated with this are discussed and it is suggested that they can be resolved, to produce a version of…
Equilibrium statistical mechanics is intended to link the microscopic dynamics of particles to the thermodynamic laws for macroscopic quantities. However, the modern statistical theory is faced with significant difficulties, as applied to…
Multicomponent phase separation is a routine occurrence in both living and synthetic systems. Thermodynamics provides a straightforward path to determine the phase boundaries that characterize these transitions for systems at equilibrium.…
The received wisdom in statistical mechanics is that isolated systems, when left to themselves, approach equilibrium. But under what circumstances does an equilibrium state exist and an approach to equilibrium take place? In this paper we…
The ideas and results that are in the background of the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics had an immense impact on our understanding of reality. Therefore, it is crucial that these implications reach also the general public, not only the…
In this paper I am presenting an overview on several topics related to nonequilibrium fluctuations in small systems. I start with a general discussion about fluctuation theorems and applications to physical examples extracted from physics…
Some general considerations on the notion of entropy in physics are presented. An attempt is made to clarify the question of the differentiation between physical entropy (the Clausius-Boltzmann one) and quantities called entropies…
A multicanonical formalism is applied to the problem of statistical equilibrium in a complex system with a hierarchy of dynamical structures. At the small scales the system is in quasi-equilibrium and follows a Maxwell-Boltzmann…
Some thoughts are presented on the inter-relation between beauty and truth in science in general and theoretical physics in particular. Some conjectural procedures that can be used to create new ideas, concepts and results are illustrated…
A conceptual framework for variational formulations of physical theories is proposed. Such a framework is displayed here just for statics, but it is designed to be subsequently adapted to variational formulations of static field theories…
Equilibrium statistical mechanics provides powerful tools to understand physics at the macroscale. Yet, the question remains how this can be justified based on a microscopic quantum description. Here, we extend the ideas of pure state…
We review the general aspects of the concept of temperature in equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Although temperature is an old and well-established notion, it still presents controversial facets. After a short…
The historical process of the genesis of the extensive or substance-like quantities took place in two steps. First, global conservation or non-conservation was discovered. Only later did it become possible to formulate the balance locally…
In this work we study the stability of the equilibria reached by ecosystems formed by a large number of species. The model we focus on are Lotka-Volterra equations with symmetric random interactions. Our theoretical analysis, confirmed by…
In this note we examine the relationship between two-dimensional Coulomb systems and the thermal equilibrium measure, such as defined in the lecture notes [arXiv:2407.21194v1], pointing out some of its discrepancies with respect to the…
These lecture notes provide an elementary introduction, within the framework of finite quantum systems, to recent developments in the theory of entropic fluctuations.
The paper deals with the generalization of both Boltzmann entropy and distribution in the light of most-probable interpretation of statistical equilibrium. The statistical analysis of the generalized entropy and distribution leads to some…
Conversations about weather, environment, health, cuisine, and even politics, all involve the word "temperature". It was an attempt to understand the working of heat engines that gave the temperature a clear definition. In this Note we put…
This paper reports on a macroscopic fluctuation theory developed over the last ten years in collaboration with L. Bertini, A. De Sole, D. Gabrielli and C. Landim. This theory has been inspired by and tested on stochastic models of…