A MICROSCOPIC THEORY OF FINITE-SIZE SCALING

In this paper, I give an overview over a recently developed rigorous theory of finite-size scaling near first order transitions. Leaving out details of the mathematical proofs, the main emphasis is put on the underlying physical ideas and the discussion of the validity of the results for regions which are, in the sense of mathematical rigour, not covered by the original papers. I present both the finite-size scaling for cubic systems and for long cylinders, discussing also a recent controversy which stems from our work on the finite-size scaling of the mass gap in long cylinders.