Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-41/1/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 41 1 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-14
The scaling hypothesis for critical phenomena says that the singular equilibrium free-energy density is a generalized homogeneous function of the thermal and field variables, after analytic backgrounds are removed. To derive the ordinary mean-field form, put , and neglect the higher powers near the transition. Rescale . Minimizing the quartic potential becomesThis is the mean-field scalar free-energy scaling form with , . The two functions correspond to and ; the latter has two pure-phase branches and a cusp at zero field. The question's and subscripts distinguish these temperatures above and below .
Differentiating with respect to gives on an ordered pure branch, and differentiating again gives . Thus the displayed scaling form independently yields and .
To allow anomalous powers, replace it byThen and . Taking at fixed small gives , so . Eliminating proves the Rushbrooke scaling relation and Widom scaling relation:These power-law relations assume the simple scaling form; marginal corrections or dangerously irrelevant couplings can require additional scaling variables.
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