Despite its rather general title, this course will in fact be an introduction to the use of field theory methods in understanding dynamical behaviour in the vicinity of a phase transition, both close to and far from equilibrium, in both the classical and quantum regimes.
However, a knowledge of the field theory approach to equilibrium critical behaviour (renormalisation group, epsilon expansion) will not be assumed, and will be covered in the first few lectures. It will be assumed that the audience is familiar with the path integral formulation of scalar field theory and Feynman diagrams as taught, for example, in the Michaelmas term QFT course, as well as the basic phenomenology of critical behaviour as discussed in my book Scaling and Renormalization in Statistical Physics and in the course I taught based on this in Hilary Term 2005.
Lectures will be on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 am in the Fisher Room, Denys Wilkinson Building. However there will be no lectures on the following dates:
Topics to be covered may include, depending on time and audience interest (there won't be time to cover all these!):