Let us begin by quoting from the Preface to the author's Statistical Physics (Moscow, Nauka 1982; also published in English by Harwood in 1986): '''My God! Yet another book on statistical physics! There's no room on my bookshelves left!' Such emotionsare quite understandable. Beforejumping to conclusions, however, it would be worthwhile to read the Introduction and look through the table of contents. Then the reader will find that this book is totally different from the existing courses, fundamental and concise. ... We do not use the conventional division into statistical theories ofequilibrium and nonequilibrium states. Rather than that, the theory ofnonequilibrium state is the basis and the backbone oftheentirecourse. ... This approach allows us to develop a unified method for statistical description ofa very broadclassofsystems. ... The author certainly does not wish to exaggerate the advantages of the book, considering it asjustthe first attemptto create a textbookofa new kind." The next step in this direction was the author's Turbulent Motion and the Structure of Chaos (Moscow, Nauka 1990; Kluwer Academic Publishers 1991). This book is subtitled A New Approach to the Statistical Theory of Open Systems. Naturally, the "new approach" is not meant to defy the consistent and efficient methods of the conventional statistical theory; itshould be regarded as auseful reinforcementofsuch methods.

Inhalt

Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Dynamic and Statistical Description of Processes in Macroscopic Systems. 3. Statistical Theory of Equilibrium State. 4. Distributions of Functions of Dynamic Variables. Fluctuations of Internal Parameters. 5. Methods of Distribution Functions and Microscopic Phase Density. 6. Boltzmann Kinetic Equation. 7. From BBGKY Equations to Kinetic Equations for Boltzmann Gas. 8. Kinetic Theory of Nonideal Gas. 9. Kinetic Theory of Fluctuations. 10. Langevin Method in Kinetic Theory of Fluctuations. 11. From Kinetic Boltzmann Equation to Equations of Gas Dynamics. 12. Thermodynamics of Nonequilibrium Irreversible Processes. 13. Unified Description of Kinetic and Hydrodynamic Processes. 14. Transition from Generalized Kinetic Equation to Equations of Gas Dynamics. 15. Nonlinear Brownian Motion. 16. Examples of Nonlinear Brownian Motion. 17. Nonlinear Brownian Motion. Unified Description of Kinetic, Hydrodynamic and Diffusion Processes. 18. Kinetic Theory of Active Media. 19. Kinetic Theory of Fluctuations in Active Media. 20. Anomalous Brownian Motion. Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Natural Flicker Noise and Residual Time Correlations. 21. Criteria of Self-Organization. 22. Turbulent Motion. Kinetic Description of Turbulence. 23. Bridge from Classical Statistical Theory of Open Systems to Quantum Theory. Conclusion. References.