SigmaPhi 2023

The SigmaPhi 2023 international conference in Chania, Crete, Greece, July 10-14, is organized in the following three areas to cover all the topics of statistical physics:

• Foundations and Theoretical aspects of classical, quantum and relativistic statistical physics and thermodynamics,
• Applications to Physical Systems,
• Applications to non-Physical Systems. Some workshops has clustered talks dedicated to special applications of statistical physics in physical and non-physical systems and have been organized as parallel events.

Non-Extensive Statistical Mechanics and Kappa Distributions Theory and Applications in Space, Plasma, and Complexity Sciences

Classical particle systems reside at thermal equilibrium with their velocity distribution function stabilized into a Maxwell distribution. On the contrary, collisionless and correlated particle systems, such as space plasmas, are characterized by a non-Maxwellian behavior, typically described by the Kappa distributions, or combinations thereof. Empirical Kappa distributions have become increasingly widespread across space and plasma physics. A breakthrough in the field came with the connection of Kappa distributions with the solid theory of non-extensive statistical mechanics. Understanding the statistical origin of these distributions was a cornerstone of theoretical developments and a plethora of applications in geophysical, space, and astrophysical plasmas, from the solar wind and the planetary magnetospheres to the outer heliosphere, the inner heliosheath, and beyond. The abstracts reported on the progress of the following:

• Theory of Kappa Distributions and Statistical Framework,
• Effects on Plasma Processes, Dynamics, and Complexity,
• Data Analyses, Simulations, and Applications in Geophysical, Space, and Astrophysical Plasmas.

See also the full Abstracts Booklet (p. 251).