Phase Transitions for Beginners

Written by an experimentalist famous for his discovery of stishovite, with vast experience in phase transition studies, this book is devoted to a description of the continuous and discontinuous phase transitions. It includes chapters outlining the Van der Waals model, hard sphere and soft sphere models of melting, scaling phenomena, renormgroup approach to phase transitions, and experimental examples to illustrate various phase transitions.

Unlike conventional books covering the same topic, this is meant for undergraduate students and experimentalists to understand basic concepts in the physics of phase transitions.

Contents:IntroductionVan Der Waals Model and Critical PhenomenaMeltingStep Potential, Quantum Effects, and "Cold" MeltingThe Second Order Phase Transitions and Critical PhenomenaBibliographyAppendices
Readership: For those at the undergraduate to graduate level, to fill conceptual gaps regarding the physics of phase transitions.
Key Features:Written by the famous experimentalist who discovered stishoviteContains many illustrative experimental examples of various phase transitionsIncludes topics usually not in conventional textbooks and monographs (hard sphere problem, melting, quantum phase transitions, etc.)