Speaker
Description
After a brief introduction to the origins of statistical physics in Naples, I will discuss the topics developed with the contributions of many researchers from the Neapolitan scientific community and international collaborations.
Statistical physics describes systems with many degrees of freedom, whose interactions often give rise to complex emergent phenomena. Examples include phase transitions, as can be observed, for example, in the transition from a gaseous to a liquid state as the temperature decreases. These transitions are characterized by the presence of strong, large-scale correlations. The mechanism of this phenomenon can be traced back to a percolative model in which correlations are associated with the presence of geometric clusters. These clusters manifest themselves in the form of connected fractal structures. Beyond the interest in critical phenomena, the study of complex networks has recently received significant development in the social, biological, and technological fields, including the web, social networks, neural networks, and so on. In this conversation, I will discuss the role of correlation and connectivity in various complex systems.