Ginzburg-Landau theory of phase transitions in pseudo-one-dimensional systems

The static and dynamic properties of weakly coupled chains undergoing a phase transition are reviewed. The discussion is based on the functional generalization of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, including systems with real and complex order parameter. Various predictions of the theory, such as static correlations, renormalized phonon frequencies and a central resonance in the dynamic form factor near structural instabilities are discussed and compared with recent experiments on linear conductors that undergo a Peierls transition. New results are obtained for the thermodynamic anomalies near the onset of 3-d ordering and for the dynamic form factor of systems with an incommensurate Peierls distortion.