Explore the fundamental concepts of phase transitions and critical phenomena with this comprehensive introduction. Ideal for researchers and students, this text, part of a distinguished international series, delves into the essential principles of statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics, offering a clear understanding of how matter transforms and exhibits critical behavior.
Explore the intricate interplay of thermomechanics and phase transitions within the framework of classical field theory. This domain investigates how fundamental physical laws, expressed through classical fields, govern the macroscopic changes in a system's state, encompassing concepts from thermodynamics and leading to an understanding of critical phenomena at various scales. It delves into the energy, forces, and dynamics that drive these transformative processes without recourse to quantum mechanics.
Explore the profound connection between approximate symmetries and the renormalization group, a powerful framework for understanding how fundamental laws manifest across different scales. This interdisciplinary concept is crucial in fields ranging from quantum field theory to statistical mechanics, revealing how emergent phenomena and universal behaviors arise even when symmetries are not perfectly exact, providing insights into critical phenomena and the structure of physical theories.