Statistical Mechanics of Disordered Systems: A Mathematical Perspective (Cambridge Series in Statistical and Probabilistic Mathematics, Series Number 18) - Softcover

Bovier, Anton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107405335 ISBN 13: 9781107405332

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2012

Synopsis

This self-contained book is a graduate-level introduction for mathematicians and for physicists interested in the mathematical foundations of the field, and can be used as a textbook for a two-semester course on mathematical statistical mechanics. It assumes only basic knowledge of classical physics and, on the mathematics side, a good working knowledge of graduate-level probability theory. The book starts with a concise introduction to statistical mechanics, proceeds to disordered lattice spin systems, and concludes with a presentation of the latest developments in the mathematical understanding of mean-field spin glass models. In particular, progress towards a rigorous understanding of the replica symmetry-breaking solutions of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass models, due to Guerra, Aizenman-Sims-Starr and Talagrand, is reviewed in some detail.

About this title

Book Description

A self-contained graduate-level introduction to the statistical mechanics of disordered systems. In three parts, the book treats basic statistical mechanics; disordered lattice spin systems; and latest developments in the mathematical understanding of mean-field spin glass models. It assumes basic knowledge of classical physics and working knowledge of graduate-level probability theory.

Review

"This book grew out of lecture notes and courses, and was prepared and polished over the last six years. Long-awaited, it is carefully prepared in a pedagogical style, with selected themes and progressive difficulty. It presents a broad overview of the field with modern tools and elaborate techniques, culminating with deep results and fascinating pictures. However, the author succeeds in also making it nice to read and easy to handle, keeping the style as direct as possible..."
Francis Comets, Mathematical Reviews

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107405335
• ISBN 13: 9781107405332
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328