10(-10) sec after the big bang, when the universe cooled down to the order of 1015 Kelvin, the electroweak phase transition led to a spontaneous breaking of the symmetry between electromagnetic and weak interactions. 10(-6) sec later, at a temperature of the order of tera degrees, the QCD transition confined the free quarks and gluons to mesons and baryons in the hadronic phase of the present world. This book is about the analytical and numerical methods used to investigate these transitions within the framework of quantum field theory at finite temperature in a continuum formulation and on the lattice. The topics covered include the renormalization group approach in a perturbative and non-perturbative realization, dimensional reduction, asymptotic and convergent expansions in quantities such as strong and weak couplings, high temperatures, and small momenta. One particular case revolves around computer-aided generations of high-order hopping parameter series.

The Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics provides a complete resource for researchers, students and lecturers with an interest in mathematical physics. It enables readers to access basic information on topics peripheral to their own areas, to provide a repository of the core information in the area that can be used to refresh the researcher's own memory banks, and aid teachers in directing students to entries relevant to their course-work. The Encyclopedia does contain information that has been distilled, organised and presented as a complete reference tool to the user and a landmark to the body of knowledge that has accumulated in this domain. It also is a stimulus for new researchers working in mathematical physics or in areas using the methods originating from work in mathematical physics by providing them with focused high quality background information. Editorial Board: Jean-Pierre Françoise, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France Gregory L. Naber, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA Tsou Sheung Tsun, University of Oxford, UK Also available online via ScienceDirect (2006) - featuring extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy.