Computer Methods in the Study of Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena

Abstract

Among the most spectacular and remarkable macroscopic events in nature are transformations between the various states of matter. Such transformations, or phase transitions, have fascinated scientists for centuries. A systematic knowledge about phase transitions found an early application in chemical technology and in material sciences such as metallurgy. In recent years, the field of phase transitions has expanded enormously. From embracing transformations between the classical states of matter, i.e. the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases, the field now includes transitions to a variety of phases characterized by such diverse properties as super-conductivity, superfluidity, magnetic ordering, surface structures, ferroelectricity, cosmological quark confinement, chaos, topological ordering, helix-coiling of proteins, and fluidity of biological membranes.