In this paper we examine the physical foundations and theoretical development of the kappa
distribution, which arises naturally from non-extensive Statistical Mechanics. The kappa …

The nonadditive entropy S q has been introduced in 1988 focusing on a generalization of
Boltzmann–Gibbs (BG) statistical mechanics. The aim was to cover a (possibly wide) class of …

Kappa Distributions: Theory and Applications in Plasmas presents the theoretical
developments of kappa distributions, their applications in plasmas, and how they affect the …

Empirical kappa distributions provide a straightforward replacement of the Maxwell
distribution for systems out of thermal equilibrium such as space plasmas. Kappa …

This paper describes the physical foundations of the newly discovered “entropy defect” as a
basic concept of thermodynamics. The entropy defect quantifies the change in entropy …

The measurement of electron temperatures and metallicities in H ii regions and planetary
nebulae (PNe) has—for several decades—presented a problem: results obtained using …

ABSTRACT Recent advances in Space Physics theory have shown the connection between
non-extensive Statistical Mechanics and space plasmas by providing a theoretical basis for …

In this paper, we develop the transport equation of kappa, the fundamental thermodynamic
parameter that labels kappa distributions of particle velocities. Using the recently developed …

Spacecraft measurements of charged particles in the solar wind show that their velocity
distributions deviate from thermal Maxwellian model, having energetic components with …

In this paper we develop tools for observers to use when analyzing nebular spectra for
temperatures and metallicities, with two goals: to present a new, simple method to calculate …