The modified finite-size scaling (for dimensions d ⩾ d, where d is the upper critical dimensionality) is verified in the closed vicinity of both the classical and the quantum multicritical points by the example of a quantum model for an anharmonic cyrstal, confined to a fully finite (block)...

We study the relation between the trading behavior of agents and volatility in toy markets of adaptive inductively rational agents. We show that excess volatility, in such simplified markets, arises as a consequence of (i) the neglect of market impact implicit in price taking behavior and of...

The lecture notes give an introduction to some aspects of fluctuations in driven systems. First, a particularly straightforward derivation of fluctuation theorems and their relation to linear response will be given. Being particularly simple the derivation gives clear limitations on the regime...

Effects of the averaging over disorder realizations (samples) on the phase behavior are analyzed in terms of the mean field approximation for the random field Ising model with infinite range interactions. It is found that the averaging is equivalent to a drastic modification in the statistics of...

In the present paper, we review the consistent definition of macroscopic total energy in classical fluid mechanics, as a function of the microscopic canonical Hamiltonian field, based on a Lennard-Jones model with some spatially varying external field. The macroscopic total energy (sum of...

This discussion paper critically reviews a new book by Aoki and Yokishawa and presents some of the techniques adopted by the authors as a new approach to the foundations of macroeconomics. The paper discusses some of the main techniques of statistical mechanics relevant in this context, namely...

We study the role of the noise in the dynamics of two competing species. We consider generalized Lotka–Volterra equations in the presence of a multiplicative noise, which models the interaction between the species and the environment. The interaction parameter between the species is a random...

A new statistical mechanics approach to dense granular media is presented. The thermodynamic formalism is set out directly in terms of elastic potential energy, such that the configurational temperature (the intensive property which defines the steady state) relates to a quadratic function of...

Evidence for Ziegler’s principle of maximum entropy production has been accumulated from different fields such as climatic studies, crystal growth, dynamics of ecosystems and cellular metabolism. However, Ziegler’s principle is still seen with scepticism by the scientific community. The...