Ensemble Formalism for Nonequilibrium Systems and an Associated Irreversible Statistical Thermodynamics

It is reviewed what can be considered as the present research trends in what regards to the construction of an ensemble formalism - Gibbs' style - for the case of far-from-equilibrium systems. The main questions involved are presented accompanied with brief discussions. The construction of a nonequilibrium statistical operator is described and its applications commented, and, particularly, it is presented the derivation of an Irreversible Thermodynamics based on the statistical foundations that the nonequilibrium ensemble formalism provides.