An introductory review of the central ideas in the modern theory of dynamic critical phenomena is followed by a more detailed account of recent developments in the field. The concepts of the conventional theory, mode-coupling, scaling, universality, and the renormalization group are introduced and are illustrated in the context of a simple example---the phase separation of a symmetric binary fluid. The renormalization group is then developed in some detail, and applied to a variety of systems. The main dynamic universality classes are identified and characterized. It is found that the mode-coupling and renormalization group theories successfully explain available experimental data at the critical point of pure fluids, and binary mixtures, and at many magnetic phase transitions, but that a number of discrepancies exist with data at the superfluid transition of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$.

Theory of Dynamic Critical Phenomena

This review summarizes recent developments in the theory of spin glasses, as well as pertinent experimental data. The most characteristic properties of spin glass systems are described, and related phenomena in other glassy systems (dielectric and orientational glasses) are mentioned. The Edwards-Anderson model of spin glasses and its treatment within the replica method and mean-field theory are outlined, and concepts such as "frustration," "broken replica symmetry," "broken ergodicity," etc., are discussed. The dynamic approach to describing the spin glass transition is emphasized. Monte Carlo simulations of spin glasses and the insight gained by them are described. Other topics discussed include site-disorder models, phenomenological theories for the frozen phase and its excitations, phase diagrams in which spin glass order and ferromagnetism or antiferromagnetism compete, the Ne\'el model of superparamagnetism and related approaches, and possible connections between spin glasses and other topics in the theory of disordered condensed-matter systems.

Spin glasses: Experimental facts, theoretical concepts, and open questions

Synchronization phenomena in large populations of interacting elements are the subject of intense research efforts in physical, biological, chemical, and social systems. A successful approach to the problem of synchronization consists of modeling each member of the population as a phase oscillator. In this review, synchronization is analyzed in one of the most representative models of coupled phase oscillators, the Kuramoto model. A rigorous mathematical treatment, specific numerical methods, and many variations and extensions of the original model that have appeared in the last few years are presented. Relevant applications of the model in different contexts are also included.

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The Kuramoto model: A simple paradigm for synchronization phenomena

The theory of phase-ordering dynamics that is the growth of order through domain coarsening when a system is quenched from the homogeneous phase into a broken-symmetry phase, is reviewed, with the emphasis on recent developments. Interest will focus on the scaling regime that develops at long times after the quench. How can one determine the growth laws that describe the time dependence of characteristic length scales, and what can be said about the form of the associated scaling functions? Particular attention will be paid to systems described by more complicated order parameters than the simple scalars usually considered, for example vector and tensor fields. The latter are needed, for example, to describe phase ordering in nematic liquid crystals, on which there have been a number of recent experiments. The study of topological defects (domain walls, vortices, strings and monopoles) provides a unifying framework for discussing coarsening in these different systems.

Theory of phase-ordering kinetics

The combination of the compactness of networks, featuring small diameters, and their complex architectures results in a variety of critical effects dramatically different from those in cooperative systems on lattices. In the last few years, important steps have been made toward understanding the qualitatively new critical phenomena in complex networks. The results, concepts, and methods of this rapidly developing field are reviewed. Two closely related classes of these critical phenomena are considered, namely, structural phase transitions in the network architectures and transitions in cooperative models on networks as substrates. Systems where a network and interacting agents on it influence each other are also discussed. A wide range of critical phenomena in equilibrium and growing networks including the birth of the giant connected component, percolation, $k$-core percolation, phenomena near epidemic thresholds, condensation transitions, critical phenomena in spin models placed on networks, synchronization, and self-organized criticality effects in interacting systems on networks are mentioned. Strong finite-size effects in these systems and open problems and perspectives are also discussed.

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Critical phenomena in complex networks

From the path probability density for nonlinear stochastic processes a Lagrangean for classical field dynamics is derived. This formulation provides a convenient approach to the mode coupling equations and the renormalization group theory of critical dynamics. An application is given for the time-dependent isotropic Heisenberg ferromagnet. The dynamical exponent
 
$$z = \frac{{d + 2 - \eta }}{2}$$

 is derived aboveT
c for all dimensionsd>2.

On a Lagrangean for classical field dynamics and renormalization group calculations of dynamical critical properties

We study the critical relaxation properties of Model A (purely dissipative relaxation) starting from a macroscopically prepared initial state characterised by non-equilibrium values for order parameter and correlations. Using a renormalisation group approach we observe that even (macroscopically)early stages of the relaxation process display universal behaviour governed by a new, independent “initial slip” exponent. For large times, the system crosses over to the well-known long-time relaxation behaviour. The new exponent is calculated toO(e2) in e=4−d, whered is the spatial dimension of the system. The initial slip scaling form of general correlation and response functions as well as the order parameter is derived, exploiting a short-time operator expansion. The leading scaling behaviour is determined by initial states with sharp values of the order parameter. Non-vanishing correlations generate corrections to scaling.

New universal short-time scaling behaviour of critical relaxation processes

We formulate a Gell'Mann-Low-type renormalization group approach to the critical dynamics of stochastic models described by Langevin or Fokker-Planck equations including mode-coupling terms. Dynamical correlation and response functions are expressed in terms of path integrals, which are investigated by well-known methods of renormalized perturbation theory. Dynamical scaling laws and relations between static and dynamic critical exponents are derived. The leading temperature-dependence of correlation and response functions is obtained from the Kadanoff-Wilson short-distance expansion. We also consider corrections to dynamic scaling which are due to a finite lattice constant.

Renormalized field theory of critical dynamics

The field theory approach to percolation processes

We consider two stochastic processes, the Gribov process and the general epidemic process, that describe the spreading of an infectious disease In contrast to the usually assumed case of short-range infections that lead, at the critical point, to directed and isotropic percolation respectively, we consider long-range infections with a probability distribution decaying in d dimensions with the distance as  By means of Wilson's momentum shell renormalization-group recursion relations, the critical exponents characterizing the growing fractal clusters are calculated to first order in an -expansion It is shown that the long-range critical behavior changes continuously to its short-range counterpart for a decay exponent of the infection 

Hans-Karl Janssen

Papers

On a Lagrangean for classical field dynamics and renormalization group calculations of dynamical critical properties

New universal short-time scaling behaviour of critical relaxation processes

Renormalized field theory of critical dynamics

The field theory approach to percolation processes

Lévy-flight spreading of epidemic processes leading to percolating clusters