The Physics of Phase Transitions: Concepts and Applications

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of Phase Transitions * Dynamics of Phase Transitions * Phase Transitions in Liquids and Solids: Solidification and Melting * Phase Transitions in Fluids * The Glass Transition * Gelation and Transitions in Biopolymers * Transitions and Collective Phenomena in Solids. New Properties * Collective Phenomena in Liquids. Liquid Crystals and Superfluidity * Microstructures, Nanostructures, and Phase Transitions * Transitions in Thin Films * Phase Transitions under Extreme Conditions and in Large Natural and Technical Systems * Answers to Problems * Appendices * Bibliography.