A challenging frontier in statistical physics concerns systems with a small number N of degrees of freedom, far from the thermodynamic limit: such an interest is motivated by the recent increase of resolution in the observation and in the manipulation of the micro-nano world. The peculiar feature of small systems is the relevance of fluctuations, which cannot be neglected. The study of fluctuations of thermodynamic quantities, such as energy or entropy, goes back to Einstein, Onsager and Kubo: more recently it has taken an acceleration with the establishing of new results in response theory and in the so-called stochastic thermodynamics. Such a turning point has received a great impulse from the study of systems which are far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Applications of the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of small systems range from molecular biology to micromechanics, including, among others, models of nanotransport, of Brownian motors and of (living or artificial) self-propelled organisms.


One of the sponsors of the conference, the journal Entropy, is editing a special issue on the same topic of this conference. Contributions to the special issue from all the conference's participants are particularly welcome.

Practical information

Final Program tba
Conference begins Monday September 18th, at 09:00
Conference ends Wednesday September 20th, at 13:30

Conference location Aula Conversi - Physics Department, Marconi building I floor

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Visualizza Aula Conversi - Physics Department - Marconi Building first floor- LARGER VIEW