This volume contains the text of four sets of lectures delivered at the third session of the Summer School organized by C.I.M.E. (Centro Internazionale Matematico Estivo). These texts are preceded by an introduction written by C....

The idea for this book was conceived by the authors some time in 1988, and a first outline of the manuscript was drawn up during a summer school on mathematical physics held in Ravello in September 1988, where all three of us were...

Statistical mechanics may be naturally divided into two branches, one dealing with equilibrium systems, the other with nonequilibrium systems. The equilibrium properties of macroscopic systems are defined in principle by suitable...

Ludwig Boltzmann: The Man Who Trusted Atoms