Landau Phystech School of Physics and Research, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Chair for "Problems in theoretical physics"

based at Landau Institute for theoretical physics

РУС/ENG    

Theory of phase transitions

V.V. Lebedev

This course discusses theory of fluctuational phenomena related to macroscopic degrees of freedom. Besides critical phenomena near the second-order phase transitions and critical points, we will consider various phases of condensed matter in which fluctuations play an important role. The formulated theory of dynamic fluctuations will be applicable both to equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems. We will use the formalism of functional integrals, diagrammatic technique, renormalization-group procedure, scaling relations, Langevin forces, analysis of the tails of the probability distribution function. Lectures are accompanied by problems, solution of which facilitates better understanding of lectures.