Generalized entropies from first principles

A derivation of power law canonical distributions from first principle statistical mechanics, including the exponential distribution as a particular case is presented. It is shown that these distributions arise naturally, and that the heat capacity of the heat bath is the condition that determines its type. As a consequence, a physical interpretation for the parameter q of the generalized entropy is given. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.