Calendar

The calendar below provides information on the course's lecture (L), recitation (R), and exam (E) sessions.

SES # TOPICS KEY DATES
L1

Collective Behavior, from Particles to Fields

Introduction, phonons and elasticity

Problem set 1 out
L2

Collective Behavior, from Particles to Fields (cont.)

Phase transitions, critical behavior

The Landau-Ginzburg Approach

Introduction, saddle point approximation, and mean-field theory

 
L3

The Landau-Ginzburg Approach (cont.)

Spontaneous symmetry breaking and goldstone modes

 
L4

The Landau-Ginzburg Approach (cont.)

Scattering and fluctuations, correlation functions and susceptibilities, comparison to experiments

 
L5

The Landau-Ginzburg Approach (cont.)

Gaussian integrals, fluctuation corrections to the saddle point, the Ginzburg criterion

Problem set 2 out
L6

The Scaling Hypothesis

The homogeneity assumption, divergence of the correlation length, critical correlation functions and self-similarity

Problem set 1 due
L7

The Scaling Hypothesis (cont.)

The renormalization group (conceptual), the renormalization group (formal)

 
L8

The Scaling Hypothesis (cont.)

The Gaussian model (direct solution), the Gaussian model (renormalization group)

 
R1 Recitation  
L9

Perturbative Renormalization Group

Expectation values in the Gaussian model, expectation values in perturbation theory, diagrammatic representation of perturbation theory, susceptibility

Problem set 2 due
R2 Recitation  
E1 In-class Test #1 Problem set 3 out
L10

Perturbative Renormalization Group (cont.)

Perturbative RG (first order)

 
L11

Perturbative Renormalization Group (cont.)

Perturbative RG (second order), the ε-expansion

 
L12

Perturbative Renormalization Group (cont.)

Irrelevance of other interactions, comments on the ε-expansion

Problem set 4 out
L13

Position Space Renormalization Group

Lattice models, exact treatment in d=1

 
L14

Position Space Renormalization Group (cont.)

The Niemeijer-van Leeuwen cumulant approximation, the Migdal-Kadanoff bond moving approximation

Problem set 3 due
R3 Recitation  
L15

Series Expansions

Low-temperature expansions, high-temperature expansions, exact solution of the one dimensional Ising model

 
L16

Series Expansions (cont.)

Self-duality in the two dimensional Ising model, dual of the three dimensional Ising model

Problem set 4 due
R4 Recitation Problem set 5 out
E2 In-class Test #2  
L17

Series Expansions (cont.)

Summing over phantom loops

 
L18

Series Expansions (cont.)

Exact free energy of the square lattice Ising model

 
R5 Recitation  
L19

Series Expansions (cont.)

Critical behavior of the two dimensional Ising model

Problem set 5 due
L20

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures

The non-linear σ-model

Problem set 6 out
L21

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures (cont.)

Topological defects in the XY model

 
L22

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures (cont.)

Renormalization group for the coulomb gas

 
L23

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures (cont.)

Two dimensional solids, two dimensional melting

 
L24

Dissipative Dynamics

Brownian motion of a particle

 
R6 Recitation  
L25

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures (cont.)

Equilibrium dynamics of a field, dynamics of a conserved field

Problem set 6 due
R6 Recitation  
E3 In-class Test #3  
L26

Continuous Spins at Low Temperatures (cont.)

Generic scale invariance in equilibrium systems, non-equilibrium dynamics of open systems, dynamics of a growing surface

Final project due 2 days after L26