Abstract
The recent theory of critical phenomena and the renormalization group as promoted by Wilson is considered on an introductory level. The main emphasis is on the idea of the fixed point Hamiltonian (asymptotic invariance of the critical Hamiltonian under change of the length scale) and the resulting homogeneity laws.
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References and footnotes
In the beginning we follow widely the introduction of the review article by M.E. Fisher, Rept. Prog. Phys. 30, 615 (1967). Compare also the review article by L.P. Kadanoff et al, Rev. Mod. Phys. 39, 395 (1967)
Depending on the number of experimentally available variables one may have a critical point, a critical line (λ-line) or even a critical surface, etc. There exist other special points, for example the common end point of a triple point line and three critical lines, called a tricritical point. These points can be described in the framework of this theory, too. They differ from normal critical points by the number of conditions necessary to reach such a point.
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Wegner, F.J. (1975). Critical phenomena and the renormalization group. In: Rollnik, H., Dietz, K. (eds) Trends in Elementary Particle Theory. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 37. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-07160-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-07160-1_6
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