Ergodicity and the Classical Lambda Phi^4 Lattice Field Theory

Abstract

In this talk we present some studies in the approach to equilibrium of the classical lambda phi^4 theory on the lattice, giving particular emphasis to its pedagogical usefulness in the context of classical statistical field theory (such as both the analytical and numerical evaluation of correlation functions), as well as in the context of statistical mechanics (such as the equivalence of ensembles in the thermodynamic limit). Since the quartic term could be regarded as a smooth perturbation to the (integrable) gaussian theory, we also discuss the connection of our results with the KAM theorem, showing that the ergodic and non-ergodic regimes are not sharply separated.