Lattice Models of Polymers (Q4223045)

This volume provides an introduction to lattice models of polymers. In particular, the book deals almost exclusively with the discussion of polymers in the very dilute regime and is addressed to readers with a background in statistical mechanics and the theory of critical phenomena. The book is divided into eleven chapters. The first two chapters introduce the basic theory of random, directed and self-avoiding walks. The next two chapters develop and expand this theory to explore the self-avoiding walk in both two and three dimensions. Following chapters discuss polymers near a surface, dense polymers, self-interacting polymers and branched polymers. The last two chapters are devoted to polymer topology and self-avoiding surfaces on a lattice. Results from rigorous, analytical and numerical work are combined to give a coherent picture of the properties of lattice models of polymers. At the end of the book the reader will find an extensive list of references for further study. This volume is a valuable addition to the literature and will be of interest to researchers and students working in statistical mechanics, theoretical physics and polymer physics. Moreover, it will also be of interest to those working in applied mathematics and theoretical chemistry.