Fluctuations, Order and Defects

Product Description Fluctuations, order, and defects determine a material's properties. The difference between water and ice is a matter of order. Many of today's high-tech materials in electronics and chemistry engineer order and defects to maximize desired properties. This second of a four volume set discusses phase transitions in a field theoretic context and shows how these methods can be applied to more complex systems such as liquid crystals and polymers. While building on the previous volume, this volume is self-contained and stands alone as a valuable resource. * Modern treatment includes coverage of effective hamiltonians. * Focuses on problems in condensed matter physics. * Author is well-known and respected for his work in statistical mechanics. Review "...a most useful source for both instructors and students..." ( Mathematical Reviews, 2003k) From the Back Cover Introducing the second volume in a cutting-edge textbook series on condensed matter physics The second volume in a four-volume set covering the field of advanced condensed matter physics, Fluctuations, Order, and Defects covers a variety of different phases of matter and the transitions between them. Building on the information presented in the first volume in the series, Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, which focused on basic principles, elementary microscopic models, and thermodynamics, Volume II emphasizes correlations and structures in space, particularly the broken symmetry and defect structure associated with phase changes in condensed matter systems. The author's major goal is to reformulate the problems discussed in Volume I in a field theoretic context, and then show how these methods can be applied to more complex systems like liquid crystals and polymers. Volume II is an up-to-date comprehensive resource that includes discussion of effective Hamiltonians, starting with fluctuating thermodynamics as developed by Einstein and Landau, and concluding with the work of Wilson on critical phenomena. Fluctuations, Order, and Defects features timely coverage of: * Ordered phases * Critical phenomena * Nambu-Goldstone modes * Coarse graining * Effective Hamiltonians * Dielectric and magnetic materials * Polymers * Neutral superfluids * Superconductors * Liquid crystals * Solids Although Volume I (0-471-32839-1) contains material that is necessary in order to fully understand the material presented here, Volume II is self-contained and can stand alone in its coverage. About the Author GENE F. MAZENKO is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Chicago's James Frank Institute and is well respected for his work in statistical mechanics. He is the author of Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Wiley).