Non-equilibrium phase transitions

These lecture notes give a basic introduction to the physics of phase transitions under non-equilibrium conditions. The notes start with a general introduction to non-equilibrium statistical mechanics followed by four parts. The first one discusses the universality class of directed percolation, which plays a similar role as the Ising model in equilibrium statistical physics. The second one gives an overview about other universality classes which have been of interest in recent years. The third part extends the scope to models with long-range interactions, including memory effects and the so-called Levy flights. Finally, the fourth part is concerned with deposition-evaporation phenomena leading to wetting transitions out of equilibrium. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.