Lattice Models of Polymers (Cambridge Lecture Notes in Physics, Series Number 11) (Volume 0)

This is a comprehensive introduction to lattice models of polymers, an important topic both in the theory of critical phenomena and the modeling of polymers. The first two chapters introduce the basic theory of random, directed and self-avoiding walks. The book then goes on to develop and expand this theory to explore the self-avoiding walk in both two and three dimensions. Following chapters describe polymers near a surface, dense polymers, self interacting polymers and branched polymers. The book closes with discussions of some geometrical and topological properties of polymers, and of self-avoiding surfaces on a lattice. The volume combines results from rigorous analytical and numerical work to give a coherent picture of the properties of lattice models of polymers. This book will be valuable for graduate students and researchers working in statistical mechanics, theoretical physics and polymer physics. It will also be of interest to those working in applied mathematics and theoretical chemistry.

Ideas from the theory of critical phenomena have been of great importance in polymer modelling ever since the Nobel prize winner P. G. de Gennes showed how the two subjects can be connected in 1972. This book provides an overview of what has been done in the 25 years following Professor de Gennes' original work. It presents a clear summary of this field, focussing on polymer models on a lattice. The volume will be valuable for graduate students and researchers working in statistical mechanics, theoretical physics, polymer physics, applied mathematics and theoretical chemistry.