Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Reports on Progress in Physics

The theory of equilibrium critical phenomena

Michael Ellis Fisher

Published Jul 1, 1967• 2,502 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The theory of critical phenomena in systems at equilibrium is reviewed at an introductory level with special emphasis on the values of the critical point exponents α, β, γ,..., and their interrelations. The experimental observations are surveyed and the analogies between different physical systems - fluids, magnets, superfluids, binary alloys, etc. - are developed phenomenologically. An exact theoretical basis for the analogies follows from the equivalence between classical and quantal `lattice gases' and the Ising and Heisenberg-Ising magnetic models. General rigorous inequalities for critical exponents at and below T c are derived. The nature and validity of the `classical' (phenomenological and mean field) theories are discussed, their predictions being contrasted with the exact results for plane Ising models, which are summarized concisely. Padé approximant and ratio techniques applied to appropriate series expansions lead to precise critical-point estimates for the three-dimensional Heisenberg and Ising models (tables of data are presented). With this background a critique is presented of recent theoretical ideas: namely, the `droplet' picture of the critical point and the `homogeneity' and `scaling' hypotheses. These lead to a `law of corresponding states' near a critical point and to relations between the various exponents which suggest that perhaps only two or three exponents might be algebraically independent for any system.

DOI
10.1088/0034-4885/30/2/306

Related papers

Magnetic Critical Point Exponents—Their Interrelations and Meaning

Michael Ellis Fisher

The definitions and determination of the thermodynamic magnetic critical point exponents α, α′, β, γ, γ′ and δ are reviewed, and ``gap exponents'' Δ and Δ′ for the divergences of higher derivatives of the free energy with respect to the field are introduced. The rigorous inequalities relating the exponents are discussed. The ``microdomain'' or ``cluster'' model of ferromagnetism leads to relations between these exponents since it expresses them in terms of two underlying exponents σ and τ. The exponent σ is directly related to the effective surface free energy of a large microdomain and thence to the dimensionality. This yields some insight into the meaning of the observed exponent values and of the differences between the critical behavior of the Ising and Heisenberg models. The recently developed homogeneity and scaling arguments are presented. These generate the same thermodynamic exponent relations and further ones for the correlation exponents η, ν and ν′. They also indicate that a general law of corresponding states might hold in the critical region. Theoretical and experimental evidence on the validity of these various ideas is briefly reviewed.

Journal of Applied Physics•Mar 1, 1967•117 citations

Scaling laws and correlation functions near magnetic critical points

Robert Hecht

"Critical point phenomena in magnetic systems are studied with the aid of the scaling laws. These laws relate the critical indices which describe the behavior of thermodynamic and correlation functions near T. Kadanoff's derivation of the scaling 1aw is reviewed. An experimental survey of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic data near T is presented. Susceptibility, correlation length, magnectization, specific heat and a magnetic equation of state are discussed. It is found that the ""critical region"" can extend as far as [equation] although frequently it is restricted to E < 10-2 The critical indices S, y, v, ~ and ~, are close to the three dimensional ISing model values. Values for 0, y' and ~ are not known as conclusively. Specific heat behavior is discussed in terms -~ of a three-parameter fit, namely C = aE + b. Varying b allows one to estimate a possible range of a's. The experimental information is consistent with the scaling law relations 2 - alpha = 2 - alpha' = dV = d gamma / (2-pi) = gamma + 2B = B(d+1) The scaling law theory is extended to predict the temperature, field and spatial dependence of various spin correlation functions. These predictions are checked by analytic calculations for the two dimensional Ising model in zero field. Results are presented for the energy density-energy density and energy density-spin correlation functions in the limit E « 1, R » 1, but the product ER arbitrary. Results are also presented for a group of two, three and four spin correlations at cT. In each case the scaling law predictions are verified."

•Jan 1, 1967•0 citations

Critical Phenomena and Renormalization-Group Theory

Andrea Pelissetto C, Ettore Vicari

We review results concerning the critical behavior of spin systems at equilibrium. We consider the Ising and the general O(N)-symmetric universality class. For each of them, we review the estimates of the critical exponents, of the equation of state, of several amplitude ratios, and of the two-point function of the order parameter. We report results in three and two dimensions. We discuss the crossover phenomena that are observed in this class of systems. In particular, we review the field-theoretical and numerical studies of systems with medium-range interactions. Moreover, we consider several examples of magnetic and structural phase transitions, which are described by more complex Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonians, such as N-component systems with cubic anisotropy, O(N)-symmetric systems in the presence of quenched disorder, frustrated spin systems with noncollinear or canted order, and finally, a class of systems described by the tetragonal Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian with three quartic couplings. The results for the tetragonal Hamiltonian are original, in particular we present the six-loop perturbative series for the β-functions and the critical exponents.

•Jan 1, 2002•900 citations

Critical point phenomena

B. L. Smith

During the last decade considerable effort has been expended in the study of critical phenomena. These investigations are especially rewarding because they provide important links between several diverse branches of physics. For example, antiferromagnets, pure fluids, binary solutions and alloys all exhibit analogous critical behaviour. It is now firmly established that the classical phenomenological theories that have been proposed to describe these systems fail in the critical region: mainly because they do not account for the fluctuation phenomena which occur close to critical points, and are a poor approximation for systems with shortrange forces. Considerable progress has been made in formulating more realistic models, for example the king and Heisenberg ferromegnets, and some success has been achieved in obtaining solutions for these models. Similar theories may be postulated to describe the critical behaviour of other systems. Recent progress in theoretical understanding and refinement of experimental techniques have helped to stimulate interest in the subject, and today the study of critical phenomena is one of the most promising and rapidly advancing areas of physics.

Contemporary Physics•Jul 1, 1969•16 citations

Theory of dynamic critical phenomena

Pierre C. Hohenberg, Bertrand I. Halperin

An introductory review of the central ideas in the modern theory of dynamic critical phenomena is followed by a more detailed account of recent developments in the field. The concepts of the conventional theory, mode-coupling, scaling, universality, and the renormalization group are introduced and are illustrated in the context of a simple example---the phase separation of a symmetric binary fluid. The renormalization group is then developed in some detail, and applied to a variety of systems. The main dynamic universality classes are identified and characterized. It is found that the mode-coupling and renormalization group theories successfully explain available experimental data at the critical point of pure fluids, and binary mixtures, and at many magnetic phase transitions, but that a number of discrepancies exist with data at the superfluid transition of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$.

Reviews of Modern Physics•Jul 1, 1977•6,905 citations

Study of Critical Phenomena by Spin-Cluster Approximation Series: Ising Spin System

Hiroshi Mano, Katsumi Nakao

A series of spin-cluster approximation which is a mean field type approximation is derived systematically on the basis of a spin-cluster expansion formula of the free energy. Mean field critical temperature and mean field critical coefficients are calculated by the spin-cluster approximation for the two-, three- and more than four-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising systems. Analyzing them by the coherent anomaly method, the critical temperature and the critical exponents α, β, γ and δ are estimated. Accuracy of estimated values in this method are comparable to those given by other methods such as the high temperature series analysis. The present theory provides a new and useful tool to study the critical phenomena, especially of three-dimensional systems.

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan•Feb 15, 1991•6 citations
The theory of critical phenomena in systems at equilibrium is reviewed at an introductory level with special emphasis on the values of the critical point exponents α, β, γ,..., and their interrelations. The experimental observations are surveyed and the analogies between different physical systems - fluids, magnets, superfluids, binary alloys, etc. - are developed phenomenologically. An exact theoretical basis for the analogies follows from the equivalence between classical and quantal lattice gases' and the Ising and Heisenberg-Ising magnetic models. General rigorous inequalities for critical exponents at and below T c are derived. The nature and validity of the classical' (phenomenological and mean field) theories are discussed, their predictions being contrasted with the exact results for plane Ising models, which are summarized concisely. Padé approximant and ratio techniques applied to appropriate series expansions lead to precise critical-point estimates for the three-dimensional Heisenberg and Ising models (tables of data are presented). With this background a critique is presented of recent theoretical ideas: namely, the droplet' picture of the critical point and the homogeneity' and scaling' hypotheses. These lead to a law of corresponding states' near a critical point and to relations between the various exponents which suggest that perhaps only two or three exponents might be algebraically independent for any system.
The definitions and determination of the thermodynamic magnetic critical point exponents α, α′, β, γ, γ′ and δ are reviewed, and ``gap exponents'' Δ and Δ′ for the divergences of higher derivatives of the free energy with respect to the field are introduced. The rigorous inequalities relating the exponents are discussed. The ``microdomain'' or ``cluster'' model of ferromagnetism leads to relations between these exponents since it expresses them in terms of two underlying exponents σ and τ. The exponent σ is directly related to the effective surface free energy of a large microdomain and thence to the dimensionality. This yields some insight into the meaning of the observed exponent values and of the differences between the critical behavior of the Ising and Heisenberg models. The recently developed homogeneity and scaling arguments are presented. These generate the same thermodynamic exponent relations and further ones for the correlation exponents η, ν and ν′. They also indicate that a general law of corresponding states might hold in the critical region. Theoretical and experimental evidence on the validity of these various ideas is briefly reviewed.
"Critical point phenomena in magnetic systems are studied with the aid of the scaling laws. These laws relate the critical indices which describe the behavior of thermodynamic and correlation functions near T. Kadanoff's derivation of the scaling 1aw is reviewed. An experimental survey of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic data near T is presented. Susceptibility, correlation length, magnectization, specific heat and a magnetic equation of state are discussed. It is found that the ""critical region"" can extend as far as [equation] although frequently it is restricted to E < 10-2 The critical indices S, y, v, ~ and ~, are close to the three dimensional ISing model values. Values for 0, y' and ~ are not known as conclusively. Specific heat behavior is discussed in terms -~ of a three-parameter fit, namely C = aE + b. Varying b allows one to estimate a possible range of a's. The experimental information is consistent with the scaling law relations 2 - alpha = 2 - alpha' = dV = d gamma / (2-pi) = gamma + 2B = B(d+1) The scaling law theory is extended to predict the temperature, field and spatial dependence of various spin correlation functions. These predictions are checked by analytic calculations for the two dimensional Ising model in zero field. Results are presented for the energy density-energy density and energy density-spin correlation functions in the limit E « 1, R » 1, but the product ER arbitrary. Results are also presented for a group of two, three and four spin correlations at cT. In each case the scaling law predictions are verified."
We review results concerning the critical behavior of spin systems at equilibrium. We consider the Ising and the general O(N)-symmetric universality class. For each of them, we review the estimates of the critical exponents, of the equation of state, of several amplitude ratios, and of the two-point function of the order parameter. We report results in three and two dimensions. We discuss the crossover phenomena that are observed in this class of systems. In particular, we review the field-theoretical and numerical studies of systems with medium-range interactions. Moreover, we consider several examples of magnetic and structural phase transitions, which are described by more complex Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonians, such as N-component systems with cubic anisotropy, O(N)-symmetric systems in the presence of quenched disorder, frustrated spin systems with noncollinear or canted order, and finally, a class of systems described by the tetragonal Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian with three quartic couplings. The results for the tetragonal Hamiltonian are original, in particular we present the six-loop perturbative series for the β-functions and the critical exponents.
During the last decade considerable effort has been expended in the study of critical phenomena. These investigations are especially rewarding because they provide important links between several diverse branches of physics. For example, antiferromagnets, pure fluids, binary solutions and alloys all exhibit analogous critical behaviour. It is now firmly established that the classical phenomenological theories that have been proposed to describe these systems fail in the critical region: mainly because they do not account for the fluctuation phenomena which occur close to critical points, and are a poor approximation for systems with shortrange forces. Considerable progress has been made in formulating more realistic models, for example the king and Heisenberg ferromegnets, and some success has been achieved in obtaining solutions for these models. Similar theories may be postulated to describe the critical behaviour of other systems. Recent progress in theoretical understanding and refinement of experimental techniques have helped to stimulate interest in the subject, and today the study of critical phenomena is one of the most promising and rapidly advancing areas of physics.
An introductory review of the central ideas in the modern theory of dynamic critical phenomena is followed by a more detailed account of recent developments in the field. The concepts of the conventional theory, mode-coupling, scaling, universality, and the renormalization group are introduced and are illustrated in the context of a simple example---the phase separation of a symmetric binary fluid. The renormalization group is then developed in some detail, and applied to a variety of systems. The main dynamic universality classes are identified and characterized. It is found that the mode-coupling and renormalization group theories successfully explain available experimental data at the critical point of pure fluids, and binary mixtures, and at many magnetic phase transitions, but that a number of discrepancies exist with data at the superfluid transition of 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He.
A series of spin-cluster approximation which is a mean field type approximation is derived systematically on the basis of a spin-cluster expansion formula of the free energy. Mean field critical temperature and mean field critical coefficients are calculated by the spin-cluster approximation for the two-, three- and more than four-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising systems. Analyzing them by the coherent anomaly method, the critical temperature and the critical exponents α, β, γ and δ are estimated. Accuracy of estimated values in this method are comparable to those given by other methods such as the high temperature series analysis. The present theory provides a new and useful tool to study the critical phenomena, especially of three-dimensional systems.