We introduce a nonextensive entropic measure $S_{ \chi}$ that grows like $N^{ \chi}$, where $N$ is the size of the system under consideration. This kind of nonextensivity arises in a natural way in some $N$-body systems endowed with long-range interactions described by $r^{ -\alpha}$ interparticle potentials. The power law (weakly nonextensive) behavior exhibited by $S_{ \chi}$ is intermediate between (1) the linear (extensive) regime characterizing the standard Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy and the (2) the exponential law (strongly nonextensive) behavior associated with the Tsallis generalized $q$-entropies. The functional $S_{ \chi} $ is parametrized by the real number $\chi \in[1,2]$ in such a way that the standard logarithmic entropy is recovered when $\chi=1$ >. We study the mathematical properties of the new entropy, showing that the basic requirements for a well behaved entropy functional are verified, i.e., $S_{ \chi}$ possesses the usual properties of positivity, equiprobability, concavity and irreversibility and verifies Khinchin axioms except the one related to additivity since $S_{ \chi}$ is nonextensive. For $1<\chi<2$, the entropy $S_{ \chi}$ becomes superadditive in the thermodynamic limit. The present formalism is illustrated by a numerical study of the thermodynamic scaling laws of a ferromagnetic Ising model with long-range interactions.
Categories: cond-mat.stat-mech