Quantum Scaling in Many-Body Systems (2^nd Ed., Revised edition) An Approach to Quantum Phase Transitions

Quantum phase transitions are strongly relevant in a number of fields, ranging from condensed matter to cold atom physics and quantum field theory. This book, now in its second edition, approaches the problem of quantum phase transitions from a new and unifying perspective. Topics addressed include the concepts of scale and time invariance and their significance for quantum criticality, as well as brand new chapters on superfluid and superconductor quantum critical points, and quantum first order transitions. The renormalisation group in real and momentum space is also established as the proper language to describe the behaviour of systems close to a quantum phase transition. These phenomena introduce a number of theoretical challenges which are of major importance for driving new experiments. Being strongly motivated and oriented towards understanding experimental results, this is an excellent text for graduates, as well as theorists, experimentalists and those with an interest in quantum criticality.

Preface; 1. Scaling theory of quantum critical phenomena; 2. Landau and Gaussian theories; 3. Real space renormalization group approach; 4. Renormalisation group: the expansion; 5. Quantum phase transitions; 6. Heavy fermions; 7. A microscopic model for heavy fermions; 8. Metal and superuid-insulator transitions; 9. Density-driven metal-insulator transitions; 10. Mott transitions; 11. The non-linear sigma model; 12. Superconductor quantum critical points; 13. Topological quantum phase transitions; 14. Fluctuation-induced quantum phase transitions; 15. Scaling theory of first order quantum phase transitions; Appendix 1. Green's functions; References; Index.

Mucio Continentino is a Professor at Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Brazil, and is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Fellow of Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Technológico (CNPq), Brazil. His research interests are in condensed matter physics, and in particular that of strongly correlated electronic systems and quantum criticality.