Proceedings of the 240 Conference

Part I The Emergence and Breakdown of Complexity
Features of Complexity 3
by Ronnie Kosloff
Exploring Quantum-Classical Boundary 19
by Kenji Ohmori
Transition from Atoms to Clusters to Condensed Matter 25
by Julius Jellinek
Free Energies of Staging a Scenario and Perpetual Motion Machines of the Third Kind 43
by Peter Salamon, Bjarne Andresen, Karl Heinz Hoffmann, James D. Nulton, Anca M. Segall, and Forest L. Rohwer
Finite-Time Thermodynamics Tools to Analyze Dissipative Processes 57
by Karl Heinz Hoffmann, Bjarne Andresen, and Peter Salamon
New Types of Complexity in Chemical Kinetics: Intersections, Coincidences, and Special Symmetrical Relationships 69
by G. S. Yablonsky, D. Constales, and G. B. Marin
Opportunities in the Area of Noise in Biological Reaction Networks 75
by Aaron R. Dinner
Thermodynamic Approach to Chemical Networks 85
by G. Nicolis and C. Nicolis
On the Emergence of Simple Structures in Complex Phenomena: Concepts and Some Numerical Examples 97
by Martin Quack
The Emergence of Simplicity from Complexity 119
by John D. Weeks and John C. Tully
Part II Dynamics at Extremes
On the Way to a Theory of Solid State Synthesis: Issues and Open Questions 125
by J. Christian Schon
Beyond Molecular Conduction: Optical and Thermal Effects in Molecular Junctions 135
by Abraham Nitzan
Thermal Conductance at the Interface Between Molecules 159
by David M. Leitner
Laser Energy Deposition in Nanodroplets and Nuclear Fusion Driven by Coulomb Explosion 165
by Andreas Heidenreich
Understanding Ultraintense x-ray Interactions with Matter 183
by Linda Young
Time-Dependent Computational Methods for Matter Under Extreme Conditions 195
by Barry I. Schneider, Klaus R. Bartschat, Xiaoxu Guan, David Feder, and Lee A. Collins
Elementary Excitations in Ultracold Finite Systems 215
by John Weiner
Part III Grand Questions
On Biomolecular Homochirality as a Quasi-Fossil of the Evolution of Life 249
by Martin Quack
Origins of Life 293
by Sydney Leach
Author Index 315
Subject Index 343