  Isolated systems tend to evolve towards equilibrium, a special state that has
been the focus of many-body research for a century. Yet much of the richness of
the world around us arises from conditions far from equilibrium. Phenomena such
as turbulence, earthquakes, fracture, and life itself occur only far from
equilibrium. Subjecting materials to conditions far from equilibrium leads to
otherwise unattainable properties. For example, rapid cooling is a key process
in manufacturing the strongest metallic alloys and toughest plastics. Processes
that occur far from equilibrium also create some of the most intricate
structures known, from snowflakes to the highly organized structures of life.
While much is understood about systems at or near equilibrium, we are just
beginning to uncover the basic principles governing systems far from
equilibrium.
