Hopfield Models as Generalized Random Mean Field Models

Twenty years ago, Pastur and Figotin [FP1,FP2] first introduced and studied what has become known as the Hopfield model and which turned out, over the years, to be one of the more successful and important models of a disordered system. This is also reflected in the fact that several contributions in this book are devoted to it. The Hopfield model is quite versatile and models various situations. Pastur and Figotin introduced it as a simple model for a spin glass, and, in 1982, Hopfield independently considered it as a model for associative memory.