Beyond Equilibrium Thermodynamics
Preface
The Credo of Coarse-Graining
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Albert Einstein
"It's too early to write such a book," was my standard reply to colleagues who asked
me when I would finally write a book on modern nonequilibrium thermodynamics.
I' m afraid that this answer is still true, even today, on September 23, 2004. Therefore,
what you have in your hands should not be considered as a regular or final book. Rather
it, is the beginning of a project, the maybe premature birth of a textbook-encyclopedia-research
guide chimera, a vivid vision to be materialized in forthcoming decades.
The title of the project, "Heyond Equilibrium Thermodynamics," is meant to indicate
that its horizon extends far beyond the well-established regimes of equilibrium and
linear irreversible thermodynamics; I hope that the book-like object in your hands
will actually help to shape a new paradigm of "beyond ... read full excerpt from Beyond Equilibrium Thermodynamics ebook
