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Reviews of Modern Physics

Theory of dynamic critical phenomena

Pierre C. Hohenberg, Bertrand I. Halperin

Published Jul 1, 1977• 6,905 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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 $^{4}\mathrm{He}$.

DOI
10.1103/revmodphys.49.435

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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.
Originally, the term ‘dynamic critical phenomena’ was coined for time-dependent properties near second-order phase transitions in thermal equilibrium . The kinetics of phase transitions in magnets, at the gas–liquid transition, and at the normal- to superfluid phase transition in helium 4 were among the prominent examples investigated already in the 1960s. The dynamic scaling hypothesis , generalizing the scaling ansatz for the static correlation function and introducing an additional dynamic critical exponent, successfully described a variety of these experiments. Yet only the development of the systematic renormalization group (RG) approach for critical phenomena in the subsequent decade provided a solid conceptual foundation for phenomenological scaling theories. Supplemented with exact solutions for certain idealized model systems, and guided by invaluable input from computer simulations in addition to experimental data, the renormalization group now provides a general framework to explore not only the static and dynamic properties near a critical point, but also the large-scale and low-frequency response in stable thermodynamic phases. Scaling concepts and the renormalization group have also been successfully applied to phase transitions at zero temperature driven by quantum rather than thermal fluctuations. It is to be hoped that RG methods may help to classify the strikingly rich phenomena encountered in far-from-equilibrium systems as well. Recent advances in studies of simple reaction-diffusion systems, active to absorbing state phase transitions, driven lattice gases, and scaling properties of moving interfaces and growing surfaces, among others, appear promising in this respect.
We discuss renormalization-group and mode-coupling theories of critical dynamics for several models. We show that to lowest order in $\ensuremath{\epsilon}={d}_{c}\ensuremath{-}d$, where for d>dcd>{d}_{c}d>dc​ conventional theory is valid, the renormalizationgroup differential equations are related by a simple transformation to those obtained from mode-coupling theory. Furthermore, the values of the dynamical fixed-point parameters essentially coincide with the critical amplitudes of the diverging transport coefficients, as determined by mode-coupling theory. In addition, we present a correct renormalization-group treatment for dynamical systems with more than one time scale, as for the binary liquid. We stress the fact that there are two distinct classes of critical dynamics, as illustrated by the results for the models studied here. We also discuss the instability of the conventional fixed point (time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau like) against mode-coupling perturbations for d<dcd<{d}_{c}d<dc​, with particular emphasis on a model for superfluid helium.
We review the progress made in dynamic bulk critical behaviour in equilibrium in the last 25 years since the review of Halperin and Hohenberg. We unify the presentation of the theoretical background by restricting ourselves to the field-theoretic renormalization group method. The main results obtained in the different universality classes are presented. This contains the critical dynamics near the gas–liquid transition in pure fluids (model H), the plait point and consolute point in mixtures (model H � ), the superfluid transition in 4 He (model F) and 4 He– 3 He mixtures (model F � ), the Curie point (model J) and Neel point (model G) in Heisenberg magnets and the superconducting transition. In comparison with experimental results, it became clear that in most cases one has to consider apart from the universal asymptotic critical behaviour also the non-universal effective behaviour. Either because it turned out to be inevitable due to a small dynamical transient exponent inhibiting the system to reach the asymptotics (e.g., at the superfluid transition) or because one is interested in the region further away from the phase transition like in pure fluids and mixtures at their gas–liquid or demixing transition. The calculation of the critical dynamics is adequate in most cases only in two-loop order. We review these results and present the solution to unreasonable features found for some models. Thus, we consider model C where relaxational and diffusive dynamics are coupled and the scaling properties and the limit to a purely relaxational model (model A) have not been understood. In general for models where the order parameter couples to other conserved densities time scale ratios between the kinetic coefficients of the order parameter and the conserved densities play an important role. Their fixed-point values and the approach to the fixed point are changed considerably in two-loop order compared to their values in one-loop order. These considerations are relevant for the explanation of the dynamical critical shape functions of systems such as superfluid helium (model F) and the isotropic antiferromagnet (model G). As far as possible, the comparison of results obtained by the renormalization group theory with numerical simulations has been made.
The main idea of Wilson's renormalization group theory of critical phenomena is extended to the dynamical case. In the first place, a concept of dynamical fixed point is proposed. The dynamic scaling law is then derived from our new fixed-point hypothesis. Wilson's fixed-point hypothesis is also deduced from ours. Further, a method of renormalizing the master equation by eliminating the short wavelength modes is found. This is performed by means of the projection operator method. As an illustration, the dynamic critical exponents are calculated for a purely dissipative spin system. Related work based on the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation is examined.
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.
An introduction into the theory of boundary critical phenomena and the application of the field-theoretical renormalization group method to these is given. The emphasis is on a discussion of surface critical behavior at bulk critical points of magnets, binary alloys, and fluids. Yet a multitude of related phenomena are mentioned. The most important distinct surface universality classes that may occur for a given universality class of bulk critical behavior are described, and the respective boundary conditions of the associated field theories are discussed. The short-distance singularities of the order-parameter profile in the diverse asymptotic regimes are surveyed.