The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions

Basic Concepts.- Thermodynamical Principles and the Landau Theory.- Order Variables, Their Correlations and Statistics: the Mean-Field Theory.- Collective Modes of Pseudospins in Displacive Crystals and the Born-Huang Theory.- Soft Modes, Lattice Anharmonicity and Pseudospin Condensates in the Critical Region.- Dynamics of Pseudospins Condensates and the Long-Range Order.- Experimental Studies.- Diffuse X-ray Diffraction and Neutron Inelastic Scattering from Modulated Crystals.- Light Scattering and Dielectric Studies on Structural Phase Transitions.- The Spin-Hamiltonian and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.- Magnetic Resonance Sampling and Nuclear Spin Relaxation Studies on Modulated Crystals.- Structural Phase Transitions in Miscellaneous Systems.