This volume is based on lectures notes for the courses delivered at the
Cimpa Summer School: From Classical to Modern Probability, held at
Temuco, Chile, be- th th tween January 8 and 26, 2001. This meeting
brought together probabilists and graduate students interested in fields
like particle systems, percolation, Brownian motion, random structures,
potential theory and stochastic processes. We would like to express our
gratitude to all the participants of the school as well as the people
who contributed to its organization. In particular, to Servet Martinez,
and Pablo Ferrari for their scientific advice, and Cesar Burgueiio for
all his support and friendship. We want to thank all the professors for
their stimulating courses and lectures. Special thanks to those who took
the extra work in preparing each chapter of this book. We are also
indebted to our sponsors and supporting institutions, whose interest and
help was essential to organize this meeting: CIMPA, CNRS, CONI- CYT,
ECOS, FONDAP Program in Applied Mathematics, French Cooperation,
Fundacion Andes, Presidential Fellowship, Universidad de Chile and
Universidad de La Frontera. We are grateful to Miss Gladys Cavallone for
her excellent work during the preparation of the meeting as well as for
the considerable task of unifying the typography of the different
chapters of this book.