The imprints of nonextensive statistical mechanics in high energy collisions

To describe high energy collisions one widely uses thermodynamical methods and concepts which follow the classical Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) approach. In many cases, however, either some deviations from the expected behaviour are observed experimentally or it is known that the conditions necessary for BG to apply are satisfied only approximately. In other branches of physics where such situations are ubiquitous, the popular remedy is to resort, instead, to the so called nonextensive statistics, the most popular example of which is Tsallis statistics. We shall provide here an overview of possible imprints of non-extensitivity existing both in high energy cosmic ray physics and in multiparticle production processes in hadronic collisions, in particular in heavy ion collisions. Some novel proposition for the interpretation of the nonextensitivity parameter q present in such circumstances will be discussed in more detail.Comment: Invited talk presented by G.Wilk at International Workshop on Classical and Quantum Complexity and Non-extensive Thermodynamics (Complexity 2000), Denton, University of North Texas, April 3-6, 2000. LaTeX file and 5 PS figures, 23 pages altogether. Some misprints corrected and references updated. Revised version to be published in Chaos, Solitons and Fractals (2001

Imprints of Nonextensivity in Multiparticle Production

The statistical methods based on the classical Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) approach are at heart of essentially all descriptions of multiparticle production processes. In many cases, however, one observes some deviations from the expected behaviour. It is also known that conditions necessary for the BG statistics to apply are usually satisfied only approximately. Two attitudes are possible in such situations: either to abandon statistical approach trying some other model or to generalise it to the so called nonextensive statistics (widely used in the similar circumstances in many other branches of physics). We shall provide here an overview of possible imprints of non-extensitivity existing both in high energy cosmic ray physics and in multiparticle production processes in hadronic collisions, in particular in heavy ion collisions.Comment: LaTeX, 2 PS files with figures, 14 pages altogether. Invited talk presented by G.Wilk at 6th International Workshop on Relativistic Aspects of Nuclear Physics (RANP2000), Caraguatatuba, Tabatinga Beach, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 17-20, 2000. To be published in the proceedings (World Scientific, Singapore). Minor changes, references update

Power-like abundance of elements in Universe

The apparently observed power-like abundance of elements in Universe is discussed in more detail with special emphasis put on the strangelets.Comment: Presented at XXXII International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics, Alushta, Crimea, Ukraine, September 7-13, 2002. To be published by World Scientific (2003) (style file ws-procs9x6.cls attached). Some misprints correcte