A Half-Century Research Footpath in Statistical Physics

Abstract

We give an abridged account of a continued string of studies in condensed matter physics and in complex systems that span five decades. We provide links to access abstracts and full texts of a selected list of publications. The studies were carried out within a framework of methods and models, some developed in situ, of stochastic processes, statistical mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. The topics, techniques and outcomes reflect evolving interests of the community but also show a particular character that privileges the use of analogies or unusual viewpoints that unite the studies in distinctive ways. The studies have been grouped into thirty sets and these, in turn, placed into three collections according to the main underlying approach: stochastic processes, density functional theory, and nonlinear dynamics. We discuss the body of knowledge created by these research lines in relation to theoretical foundations and spread of subjects. We indicate unsuspected connections underlying different aspects of these investigations and also point out both natural and unanticipated perspectives for future developments. Finally, we refer to our most important and recent contribution: An answer with a firm basis to the long standing question about the limit of validity of ordinary statistical mechanics and the pertinence of Tsallis statistics.