A broad introduction and overview of current interdisciplinary studies on complexity, this volume is an ideal starting point for scientists and graduate students who wish to enter the field. The book features a diverse collection of the latest research work not found in a single volume elsewhere.Among the highly regarded contributors to the volume are the 2004 Boltzmann medalists E G D Cohen and H E Stanley; G Parisi, Boltzmann medalist in 1992 and Dirac medalist in 1999; and numerous internationally renowned experts, such as S Abe, F T Arecchi, J-P Bouchaud, A Coniglio, W Ebeling, P Grigolini, R Mantegna, M Paczuski, A Robledo, L Pietronero, A Vespignani, and T Vicsek.

This book focuses on nonextensive statistical mechanics, a current generalization of Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) statistical mechanics. Conceived nearly 150 years ago by Maxwell, Boltzmann and Gibbs, the BG theory, one of the greatest monuments of contemporary physics, exhibits many impressive successes in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computational sciences. Presently, several thousands of publications by scientists around the world have been dedicated to its nonextensive generalization. A variety of applications have emerged in complex systems and its mathematical grounding is by now well advanced. Since the first edition release thirteen years ago, there has been a vast amount of new results in the field, all of which have been incorporated in this comprehensive second edition. Heavily revised and updated with new sections and figures, the second edition remains the go-to text on the subject. A pedagogical introduction to the BG theory concepts and their generalizations – nonlinear dynamics, extensivity of the nonadditive entropy, global correlations, generalization of the standard CLT’s, complex networks, among others – is presented in this book, as well as a selection of paradigmatic applications in various sciences together with diversified experimental verifications of some of its predictions. Introduction to Nonextensive Statistical Mechanics is suitable for students and researchers with an interest in complex systems and statistical physics.

Written by experts from geophysics, astrophysics and engineering, this unique book on the interdisciplinary aspects of turbulence offers recent advances in the field and covers everything from the very nature of turbulence to some practical applications.

All papers have been peer-reviewed. This volume gives an updated overview of current interdisciplinary studies on complex systems and nonextensive statistical mechanics. It is an ideal starting point for scientists and graduate students who wish to enter the field. The book features a diverse collection of the latest research work not found in a single volume elsewhere. Among the highly regarded contributors to the volume are the 2004 Boltzmann medalist H. E. Stanley and numerous internationally renowned experts, such as S. Abe, P-H. Chavanis, C. Beck, G. Casati, D. Farmer, H. Herrmann, R. Mantegna, J. Naudts, A. Plastino, A Robledo, B. Spagnolo C. Tsallis and many others.

Proceedings of SPIE present the original research papers presented at SPIE conferences and other high-quality conferences in the broad-ranging fields of optics and photonics. These books provide prompt access to the latest innovations in research and technology in their respective fields. Proceedings of SPIE are among the most cited references in patent literature.

Most of the solid materials we use in everyday life, from plastics to cosmetic gels exist under a non-crystalline, amorphous form: they are glasses. Yet, we are still seeking a fundamental explanation as to what glasses really are and to why they form. In this book, we survey the most recent theoretical and experimental research dealing with glassy physics, from molecular to colloidal glasses and granular media. Leading experts in this field present broad and original perspectives on one of the deepest mysteries of condensed matter physics, with an emphasis on the key role played by heterogeneities in the dynamics of glassiness.