Sharp threshold phenomena in statistical physics (Q1731896)

This paper gives a very nice introduction to the study of phase transitions in statistical physics with emphasis on certain recent advances based on the theory of sharp threshold for Boolean functions. The key example presented in great detail is Bernoulli percolation on $\mathbb{Z}^2$ for which a modern (and essentially self-contained) proof of the fact that the critical value is equal to $1/2$ is given. \par The first section introduces the concept of sharp threshold for Boolean functions together with a brief account on how it comes about for Bernoulli percolation on $\mathbb{Z}^2$ and for the Erdös Renyi random graph. Next, a general approach for how to prove that a sequence of Boolean functions undergoes a sharp threshold is given, based on the Margulis-Russo differentiation formula combined either with the BKKKL inequality or the OSSS inequality. In the third section, this approach is applied to the Bernoulli percolation on $\mathbb{Z}^d$, whereas the last section highlights certain recent advances to other models in statistical physics, in particular the random cluster model.