This volume comprises about 40 research papers and essays covering a wide range of subjects in the forefront of contemporary statistical physics. The contributors are scientists and specialists in several different fields. The book is dedicated to Peter Szepfalusy on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Emphasis is placed on his two main areas of research, namely phase transitions and chaotic dynamical systems. They share common aspects like the applicability of the probabilistic approach or scaling behaviour and universality. Several papers deal with equilibrium phase transitions, critical...