edited by C Beck (University of London, UK) , G Benedek (Università di Milano Bicocca, Italy) , A Rapisarda (Università di Catania, Italy) , & C Tsallis (CBPF, Brazil & Santa Fe Institute for Complex Systems, New Mexico, USA)

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.

• General Aspects:Time-averages and the Heat Theorem (A Carati)
  • Generalizing the Planck Distribution (A M C Souza & C Tsallis)
  • Nonequivalent Ensembles and Metastability (H Touchette & R S Ellis)
• Applications in Physics:
  • Statistical Physics for Cosmic Structures (L Pietronero & F Sylos Labini)
  • Deterministic Aging (E Barkai)
  • Symmetry Breaking Induced Directed Motions (C-H Chang & T Y Tsong)
• Granular Media, Glasses and Turbulence:
  • Supersymmetry and Metastability in Disordered Systems (I Giardina et al.)
  • Optimization by Thermal Cycling (A Möbius et al.)
  • Multifractal Analysis of Turbulence and Granular Flow (T Arimitsu & N Arimitsu)
• Applications in Other Sciences:
  • Complexity of Perceptual Processes (F T Arecchi)
  • The Subtle Nature of Market Efficiency (J-P Bouchaud)
  • Aging in Earthquakes Model (U Tirnakli)
• Networks:
  • Networks as Renormalized Models for Emergent Behavior in Physical Systems (M Paczuski)
  • The Importance of Being Central (P Crucitti & V Latora)
  • and other papers