Customer Reviews

Quantum Phase Transitions

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I am working through this book now and just about to finish part II.

If I am not mistaken, this is currently the only book dealing exclusive with the subject of quantum phase transition.

A basic recurring theme is: at T=0 you have a critical point and two (quantum) phases on two sides. Add a little temperature, and you gets a few thermally-excited quasiparticles above the ground state on either side of the critical point. Except when you are immediately above the critical point, where the quasiparticle picture breaks down.

Sachdev systematically treats each model in the same way. First he would establish the behaviors of the two zero-T phases, and then discuss the finite-T region where the physics can be described by quasiparticles, and finally treat the quantum critical regime. Having a unifying structure makes grasping the concept easier.

That said, Sachdev does assume a very good foundation in QFT. It is commonplace in the book where he just defines an action, states that he is going to integrate out such-and-such, and then slaps the end result on you straightaway. You will have a really hard time making sense of what he wrote if you have just finished the standard one-year sequence of QFT.

(If you can do most of the problems in Peskin/Schoeder without refering to the book or your notes, you are good to go.)

Bottom line: be prepared for many omitted derivations and missing steps. Four stars, still. At least Sachdev provides a coherent direction, and I have seen books much more incomprehensible.

This book is very good. It provides a general review of quantum phase transitions. I recommend to graduate students and researchers.