|
| Author(s) |
Goles, E. (ed.) Martínez, S. (ed.) |
|---|---|
| Title | Statistical physics, automata networks and dynamical systems |
| Publisher | Kluwer |
| Year of publication | 1992 |
| Reviewed by | Günter Vojta |
This book represents the proceedings of the Second School on Statistical Physics and Cooperative Systems in Santiago de Chile, Dec. 1990. It contains six selected papers, partly of introductory level, partly of review character together with original results. The title of the volume describes well the topics treated which center around modern fields of statistical physics in the widest sense.
The first paper by Pierre Collet introduces into the theory of regular and chaotic behaviour of dynamical systems including types of bifurcations, the period doubling scenario, attractors, measures and entropies. The very interesting survey paper by P.A. Ferrari treats the Burgers equation, well known from turbulence theory, as a model of traffic on highways, and that from the point of view of statistical physics and semigroup theory. Two articles are dedicated to the study of automata network strategies for optimization problems and of statistical theories of learning in neural networks. A further paper discusses a deterministic fractal model and a random fractal related with the dynamics of cellular automata. Finally, there is an expository paper on the statistical thermodynamics of various simplified spin glass models. References are added to each paper. A subject index is missing.
The papers are well written and partly supplemented by instructive figures. The volume is perfectly produced. It can be offered to all those who want a rapid introduction into modern areas of statistical physics or specialized information on a professional level.