  This chapter seeks to outline a few basic problems in quantum statistical
physics where recent experimental advances from the atomic physics community
offer the hope of dramatic progress. The focus is on nonequilibrium situations
where the powerful concepts and methods of equilibrium statistical physics and
"linear response" theory (for small deviations from equilibrium) are not
applicable. The problems discussed here are chosen in part because they have a
high degree of "universality" or generality across different microscopic
situations, as the major challenge in nonequilibrium statistical physics, both
quantum and classical, has been to find principles as general as the basic
principles of equilibrium statistical physics or linear response.
