A Student's Guide to the Ising Model

by James S. Walker

Overview

The Ising model provides a detailed mathematical description of ferromagnetism and is widely used in statistical physics and condensed matter physics. In this Student's Guide, the author demystifies the mathematical framework of the Ising model and provides students with a clear understanding of both its physical significance, and how to apply it successfully in their calculations. Key topics related to the Ising model are covered, including exact solutions of both finite and infinite systems, series expansions about high and low temperatures, mean-field approximation methods, and renormalization-group calculations. The book also incorporates plots, figures, and tables to highlight the significance of the results. Designed as a supplementary resource for undergraduate and graduate students, each chapter includes a selection of exercises intended to reinforce and extend important concepts, and solutions are also available for all exercises.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009096300
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/25/2023
Series:	Student's Guides
Pages:	193
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

James S. Walker is Emeritus Professor of Physics at Washington State University and has previously held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has taught the Ising model both at undergraduate and graduate level and is the author of the highly successful undergraduate text Physics (Addison-Wesley) now in its fifth edition.

Table of Contents

1. The Ising model; 2. Finite Ising systems; 3. Partial summations and effective interactions; 4. Infinite Ising systems in one dimension; 5. The Onsager solution and exact series expansions; 6. The mean-field approach; 7. Position-space renormalization-group techniques; Index.