Introduction to Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena (International Series of Monographs on Physics)

Rating:
Summary: A classic of critical phenomena
Review: "Introduction to phase transitions and critical phenomena" can be considered a classic in the subject, and, despite its first edition is now nearly thirty years old, and some of the results presented have been worked out in more detail along these years, I highly recommend it as an introduction to the subject. One fundamental advantage of the book that makes it different from newer teatrises like "The Theory of Critical Phenomena" by Binney et al (1992), is that it allows a

"softer" interface with "classical" thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, which is very convenient for beginners. Another important feature is the systematic "compromise" with the experiment, quite rare in theoretically-oriented books: it covers from the classic experiment of the critical point in the cyclohexane-aniline system, to the description of various spectrometers. Of course, "modern" topics in critical phenomena such as percolation are not examined and should be consulted in newer books. I might also criticize some lacks in the subject index; for example, the excellent survey of critical exponents in Binney's index is not matched in this book.