Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena in Frustrated Systems and Thin Films

Dear Colleagues,

Phase transitions and critical phenomena occupy the central place of statistical physics. These subjects have important applications in materials science and in other sciences. Why are such studies interesting for so many disciplines? One of the answers resides in the fact that, if we know characteristics of a phase transition, we can understand interaction mechanisms between constituents composing the material. Beyond fundamental interests, understanding these mechanisms allows us to artificially modify the material to get a desired property. 

The theory of phase transitions made remarkable advances in the 1970s with the concept of the renormalization group (RG), introduced by K.H. Wilson. RG provides a clear physical picture about how a collective excitation of particles in a system can induce a change of its symmetry. RG has successfully explained the nature of the phase transitions and the critical properties of many systems, in agreement with experiments.  However, the application of RG in complicated systems, such as systems with competing interactions, is not simple; let alone its questionable validity due to various approximations used.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to give an opportunity to publish papers on phase transitions and criticality in complex systems, such as frustrated systems, low-dimensional quantum spin systems, and thin films. We welcome overviews and surveys on rapidly-developed domains, and original papers using theory, simulations, and experiments.

Prof. Dr. Hung T. Diep
Guest Editor

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