WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks

Order, Disorder and Criticality - Advanced Problems of Phase Transition Theory

Published Jan 1, 2004• 69 citations

Abstract

This book is the third volume of review papers on advanced problems of phase transitions and critical phenomena, following the success of the first two volumes in 2004 and in 2007. Broadly, the book aims to demonstrate that the phase transition theory, which experienced its 'golden age' during the 70s and 80s, is far from over and there is still a good deal of work to be done, both at the fundamental level and in respect of applications. This volume presents a broad spectrum of problems connected with criticality. It covers its theoretical backgrounds, analytical approaches and numerical simulations to describe criticality in specific systems (ionic fluids, diluted magnets, polymers), as well as phase transitions on complex networks and in the minority game model. As the first two volumes, this book is based on the review lectures that were given in Lviv (Ukraine) at the "Ising lectures" - a traditional annual workshop on phase transitions and critical phenomena which brings together scientists working in the field with university students and those who are interested in the subject.

DOI: 10.1142/9789812565440

Related papers

Materials of the round table ``Phase transitions and critical phenomena: past, present, and future"

A. Bakai, A. Ciach, Alexander V. Chalyi +7 more

The paper contains materials of the discussion concerning phase transitions and critical phenomena which took place during the Workshop on modern problems of soft matter theory (Aug. 27 -- Aug. 31, 2000, Lviv, Ukraine).

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Statistical Mechanics of Phase Transitions

Julia M. Yeomans

Abstract Recent developments have led to a good understanding of universality; why phase transitions in systems as diverse as magnets, fluids, liquid crystals, and superconductors can be brought under the same theoretical umbrella and well described by simple models. This book describes the physics underlying universality and then lays out the theoretical approaches now available for studying phase transitions. Traditional techniques, mean-field theory, series expansions, and the transfer matrix, are described; the Monte Carlo method is covered, and two chapters are devoted to the renormalization group, which led to a break-through in the field. The book will be useful as a textbook for a course in `Phase Transitions', as an introduction for graduate students undertaking research in related fields, and as an overview for scientists in other disciplines who work with phase transitions but who are not aware of the current tools in the armoury of the theoretical physicist.

May 7, 1992809 citations

Elements of Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena

Hidetoshi Nishimori, Gerardo Ortíz

Abstract Phase transitions and critical phenomena have consistently been among the principal subjects of active studies in statistical physics. The simple act of transforming one state of matter or phase into another, for instance by changing the temperature, has always captivated the curious mind. This book provides an introductory account on the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena, a subject now recognized to be indispensable for students and researchers from many fields of physics and related disciplines. The first five chapters are very basic and quintessential, and cover standard topics such as mean-field theories, the renormalization group and scaling, universality, and statistical field theory methods. The remaining chapters develop more advanced concepts, including conformal field theory, the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, the effects of randomness, percolation, exactly solvable models, series expansions, duality transformations, and numerical techniques. Moreover, a comprehensive series of appendices expand and clarify several issues not developed in the main text. The important role played by symmetry and topology in understanding the competition between phases and the resulting emergent collective behaviour, giving rise to rigidity and soft elementary excitations, is stressed throughout the book. Serious attempts have been directed toward a self-contained modular approach so that the reader does not have to refer to other sources for supplementary information. Accordingly, most of the concepts and calculations are described in detail, sometimes with additional/auxiliary descriptions given in appendices and exercises. The latter are presented as the topics develop with solutions found at the end of the book, thus giving the text a self-learning character.

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Lectures on Phase Transitions

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This book treats the problem of phase transitions, emphasizing the generality and universality of the methods and models used. The course is basically concentrated on the problems of vacuum degeneration in macroscopic systems and a fundamental concept of quasiaverages by Bogolubov playing a special role in the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena. An analysis of the connection between phase transition and spontaneous symmetry breaking in a macroscopic system allows a unique description of both first- and second-order phase transitions.The unique features of this book are: (i) a unique approach of describing first — as well as second-order phase transitions, based on the Bogolubov concept of quasi-averages.(ii) a detailed presentation of the material and at the same time a review of modern problems.(iii) a general character of developed ideas that could be applied to various particular systems of condensed matter physics, nuclear physics and high-energy physics.

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MATERIALS OF THE ROUND TABLE "PHASE TRANSITIONS AND CRITICAL PHENOMENA: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE"

Dudka

Materials of the round table "Phase transitions and critical phenomena: past, present, and future"The paper contains materials of the discussion concerning phase transitions and critical phenomena which took place during the Workshop on modern problems of soft matter theory (August 27-31, 2000, Lviv, Ukraine).

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Introduction to the Theory of Critical Phenomena: Mean Field, Fluctuations and Renormalization

Dimo I. Uzunov

The sophistication of modern tools used in the study of statistical mechanics and field theory is often an obstacle to the easy understanding of new important current results reported in journals. The main purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to the methods of the fluctuation (field) theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena so as to provide a good source for research. The introductory contents are concerned with ideas of description, thermodynamic stability theory related to phase transitions, major experimental facts, basic models and their relationships. Special attention is paid to the mean field approximation and to the Landau expansion for simple and complex models of critical and multicritical phenomena. An instructive representation of the modern perturbation theory and the method of the renormalization group is developed for field models of phase transitions. The essential influence of the fluctuations on the critical behaviour is established together with the theory of correlation functions, Gaussian approximation, the Ginzburg criterion, [symbol]- and 1/n- expansions as practical realizations of the renormalization group ideas. Applications of the theory to concrete aspects of condensed matter physics are considered: quantum effects, Bose condensation, crystal anisotropy, superconductors and liquid crystals, effects of disorder of type randomly distributed quenched impurities and random fields. This volume can be used as an advanced University course book for students with a basic knowledge of statistical physics and quantum mechanics. It could be considered as a complementary text to a standard University course on statistical physics

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