Physics and Complexity

TL;DR

This paper explores how simple microscopic interactions in many-body systems lead to complex macroscopic phenomena, highlighting advances in understanding, methodology, and applications across sciences, and emphasizing physics' role in this progress.

Contribution

It provides an overview of the emergence of complexity in many-body systems and illustrates physics' contributions to understanding and modeling such phenomena.

Findings

Complex macroscopic behavior arises from simple microscopic rules.

Physics has significantly contributed to the conceptual and methodological understanding of complexity.

The paper identifies future opportunities in the study of complex systems.

Abstract

This paper is concerned with complex macroscopic behaviour arising in many-body systems through the combinations of competitive interactions and disorder, even with simple ingredients at the microscopic level. It attempts to indicate and illustrate the richness that has arisen, in conceptual understanding, in methodology and in application, across a large range of scientific disciplines, together with a hint of some of the further opportunities that remain to be tapped. In doing so it takes the perspective of physics and tries to show, albeit rather briefly, how physics has contributed and been stimulated.