Statistical Physics II

The course builds on thermal and statistical physics, and is intended for anyone with an interest in modern theoretical physics. The course gives an introduction to important ideas and techniques for studying average thermal properties of interacting systems. The main focus is on the rich variation of different phases and phase transitions in nature, ranging from classical fluids at high temperature to quantum liquids at low temperature. The basic approach is to start from a microscopic model, and then make a suitable elimination of degrees of freedom on short length scales to obtain a new model that applies on a longer length scale. This transformation is called the Renormalization Group (RG), and is a central method in modern statistical physics. The RG leads to the concepts of order parameters and spontaneously broken symmetries as unifying concepts of great importance in many different areas of physics. We will study a number of models which have a wide range of applications in condensed matter physics, particle physics, biology and economy. In the course both the basic ideas, models and techniques of modern statistical physics will be discussed, as well as a wide range of important applications. This course is given by KTH, but can be taken by Stockholm University students.