An Introduction to the Theory of Spin Glasses and Neural Networks (World Scientific Lecture Notes in Physics)

This title aims to describe in simple terms the new area of statistical mechanics known as "spin-glasses", encompassing systems in which quenched disorder is the dominant factor. The book begins with a non-mathematical explanation of the problem, and the modern understanding of the physics of the spin-glass state is formulated in general terms. Following this, the "magic" of the replica symmetry breaking scheme is demonstrated and the physics behind it discussed. Recent experiments on real spin-glass materials are briefly described to demonstrate how this somewhat abstract physics can be studied in the laboratory. The final chapters of the book are devoted to statistical models of neural networks.