Theory Of Simple Glasses

This self-contained text describes the modern mean field theory of simple structural glasses using a quantum statistical mechanical approach. Describing the theory in clear and simple terms, this is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers working in condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics.

Comprehensive coverage of topics in the theory of classical liquids Widely regarded as the standard text in its field, Theory of Simple Liquids gives an advanced but self-contained account of liquid state theory within the unifying framework provided by classical statistical mechanics. The structure of this revised and updated Fourth Edition is similar to that of the previous one but there are significant shifts in emphasis and much new material has been added. Major changes and Key Features in content include: Expansion of existing sections on simulation methods, liquid-vapour coexistence, the hierarchical reference theory of criticality, and the dynamics of super-cooled liquids. New sections on binary fluid mixtures, surface tension, wetting, the asymptotic decay of pair correlations, fluids in porous media, the thermodynamics of glasses, and fluid flow at solid surfaces. An entirely new chapter on applications to 'soft matter' of a combination of liquid state theory and coarse graining strategies, with sections on polymer solutions and polymer melts, colloidal dispersions, colloid-polymer mixtures, lyotropic liquid crystals, colloidal dynamics, and on clustering and gelation. Expansion of existing sections on simulation methods, liquid-vapour coexistence, the hierarchian reference of criticality, and the dynamics of super-cooled liquids. New sections on binary fluid mixtures, surface tension, wetting, the asymptotic decay of pair correlations, fluids in porous media, the thermodynamics of glasses, and fluid flow at solid surfaces. An entirely new chapter on applications to 'soft matter' of a combination of liquid state theory and coarse graining strategies, with sections on polymer solutions and polymer melts, colloidal dispersions, colloid-polymer mixtures, lyotropic liquid crystals, colloidal dynamics, and on clustering and gelation.

Silicon dioxide plays a central role in most contemporary electronic and photonic technologies, from fiber optics for communications and medical applications to metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Many of these applications directly involve point defects, which can either be introduced during the manufacturing process or by exposure to ionizing radiation. They can also be deliberately created to exploit new technologies. This book provides a general description of the influence that point defects have on the global properties of the bulk material and their spectroscopic characterization through ESR and optical spectroscopy.

The book introduces some useful and little known techniques in statistical mechanics and field theory including multiple Legendre transforms, supersymmetry, Fourier transforms on a tree, infinitesimal permutations and Ward Takahashi Identities."--Jacket.

This book aims to describe in simple terms the new area of statistical mechanics known as spin-glasses, encompassing systems in which quenched disorder is the dominant factor. The book begins with a non-mathematical explanation of the problem, and the modern understanding of the physics of the spin-glass state is formulated in general terms. Next, the 'magic' of the replica symmetry breaking scheme is demonstrated and the physics behind it discussed. Recent experiments on real spin-glass materials are briefly described to demonstrate how this somewhat abstract physics can be studied in the laboratory. The final chapters of the book are devoted to statistical models of neural networks. The material here is self-contained and should be accessible to students with a basic knowledge of theoretical physics and statistical mechanics. It has been used for a one-term graduate lecture course at the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. Contents:The Ising Magnetic SystemsPhysics of the Spin Glass StateReplica MethodReplica Symmetry BreakingPhysics of Replica Symmetry BreakingReplica Symmetry Breaking Solution Near TcUltrametricityScaling in the Space of Spin Glass StatesExperimentsPartial AnnealingStatistical Models of Neural NetworksThe Hopfield ModelPartial Annealing in Neural NetworksOther Kinds of Neural NetworksAppendix: Stability of the Replica-Symmetric Solutions Readership: Researchers and graduate students in statistical mechanics and neural networks. keywords: “The book by Viktor Dotsenko in large parts presents the most important results of this research based on the replica method. Although these results have been presented systematically already elsewhere (for instance in the well-known book by Amit) their concise presentation makes the book self-contained and a good introduction to the theoretical tools.” Mathematics Abstracts

About sixty years ago, the anomalous magnetic response of certain magnetic alloys drew the attention of theoretical physicists. It soon became clear that understanding these systems, now called spin glasses, would give rise to a new branch of statistical physics. As physical materials, spin glasses were found to be as useless as they were exotic. They have nevertheless been recognized as paradigmatic examples of complex systems with applications to problems as diverse as neural networks, amorphous solids, biological molecules, social and economic interactions, information theory and constraint satisfaction problems.This book presents an encyclopaedic overview of the broad range of these applications. More than 30 contributions are compiled, written by many of the leading researchers who have contributed to these developments over the last few decades. Some timely and cutting-edge applications are also discussed. This collection serves well as an introduction and summary of disordered and glassy systems for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and practitioners interested in the topic.

This is an introductory textbook on amorphous magnets for students and scientists in physics and materials science. Basic physical arguments are given and experimental data are systematically collected and discussed. The book deals mostly with the qualitative and semiquantitative aspects of materials that can be deduced, in a relatively simple way, from the fundamental equations of solid state physics.

Three scientists from the L.D. Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics, Moscow, review recent developments in the theory of spin glasses and related strongly disordered systems. They discuss in particular the problems of irreversibility and nonergodicity in the framework of the mean field theory, a phase transition in three- dimensional spin glasses, and glass-like systems with hidden correlations. Addressed to researchers in theoretical physics. Book club price $59. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR