A Modern Course in Statistical Physics

A Modern Course in Statistical Physics is a textbook that provides a grounding in the foundations of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical physics, and focuses on the universal nature of thermodynamic processes. It illustrates fundamental concepts with examples from contemporary research problems. One focus of the book is fluctuations that occur due to the discrete nature of matter, a topic of growing importance for nanometer scale physics and biophysics. Another focus concerns classical and quantum phase transitions, in both monatomic and mixed particle systems. The book treats such diverse topics as osmosis, steam engines, superfluids, Bose–Einstein condensates, quantum conductance, light scattering, transport processes, and dissipative structures, all in the framework of the foundations of statistical physics and thermodynamics. All classical physics is derived as limiting cases of quantum statistical physics.
This revised and updated third edition gives comprehensive coverage of numerous core topics and special applications, allowing professors flexibility in designing individualized courses. The inclusion of advanced topics and extensive references makes this an invaluable resource for researchers as well as students – a textbook that will be kept on the shelf long after the course is completed.
From the contents:Complexity and EntropyThermodynamicsThe Thermodynamics of Phase TransitionsEquilibrium Statistical Mechanics I: Canonical EnsembleEquilibrium Statistical Mechancis II: Grand Canonical EnsembleBrownian Motion and Fluctuation – DissipationHydrodynamicsTransport CoefficientsNonequilibrium Phase Transitions 

Spis treści:
Preface to the Third Edition.
Preface to the First Edition.
1 Introduction.
2 Complexity and Entropy.
2.1 Introduction.
2.2 Coun ting Microscopic States.
2.3 Multiplicity and Entropy of Macroscopic Physical States.
2.4 Multiplicity and Entropy of a Spin System.
2.5 Multiplicity and Entropy of an Einstein Solid.
2.6 Multiplicity and Entropy of an Ideal Gas.
2.7 Problems.
3 Thermodynamics.
3.1 Introduction.
3.2 Energy Conservation.
3.3 Entropy.
3.4 Fundamental Equation of Thermodynamics.
3.5 Thermodynamic Potentials.
3.6 Response Functions.
3.7 Stability of the Equilibrium State.
3.8 Cooling and Liquefaction of Gases.
3.9 Osmotic Pressure in Dilute Solutions.
3.10 The Thermodynamics of Chemical Reactions.
3.11 Problems.
4 The Thermodynamics of Phase Transitions.
4.1 Introduction.
4.2 Coexistence of Phases: Gibbs Phase Rule.
4.3 Classification of Phase Transitions.
4.4 Classical Pure PVT Systems.
4.5 Binary Mixtures.
4.6 The Helium Liquids.
4.7 Superconductors.
4.8 Ginzburg Landau Theory.
4.9 Critical Exponents.
4.10 Problems.
5 Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics i Canonical Ensemble.
5.1 Introduction.
5.2 Probability Density Operator–Canonical Ensemble.
5.3 Semiclassical Ideal Gas of Indistinguishable Particles.
5.4 Interacting Classical Fluids.
5.5 Heat Capacity of a Debye Solid.
5.6 Order Disorder Transitions on Spin Lattices.
5.7 Scaling.
5.8 Microscopic Calculation of Critical Exponents.
5.9 Problems.
6 Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics ii Grand Canonical Ensemble.
6.1 Introduction.
6.2 The Grand Canonical Ensemble.
6.3 Virial Expansion for Interacting Classical Fluids.
6.4 Black Body Radiation.
6.5 Ideal Quantum Gases .
6.6 Ideal Bose Einstein Gas.
6.7 Ideal Fermi Dirac Gas.
6.8 Momentum Condensation in an Interacting Fermi Fluid.
6.9 Problems.
7 Brownian Motion and Fluctuation Dissipation.
7.1 Introduction.
7.2 Brownian Motion.
7.3 The Fokker Planck Equation.
7.4 Dynamic Equilibrium Fluctuations.
7.5 Linear Response Theory and the Fluctuation Dissipation Theorem.
7.6 Microscopic Linear Response Theory.
7.7 Problems.
8 Hydrodynamics.
8.1 Introduction.
8.2 Navier Stokes Hydrodynamic Equations.
8.3 Linearized Hydrodynamic Equations.
8.4 Light Scattering.
8.5 Hydrodynamics of Mixtures.
8.6 Thermoelectricity.
8.7 Superfluid Hydrodynamics.
8.8 Problems.
9 Transport Coefficients.
9.1 Introduction.
9.2 Elementary Transport Theory.
9.3 The Boltzmann Equation.
9.4 Linearized Boltzmann Equation.
9.5 Coefficient of Self–Diffusion.
9.6 Coefficients of Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity.
9.7 Computation of Transport Coefficients.
9.8 Problems.
10 Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions.
10.1 Introduction.
10.2 Near Equilibrium Stability Criteria.
10.3 The Chemically Reacting Systems.
10.4 The Rayleigh Bénard Instability.
10.5 Problems.
Appendix A Probability.
A.1 Definition of Probability.
A.2 Probability Distribution Functions.
A.3 Binomial Distributions.
A.4 Markov Chains.
A.5 Probability Density for Classical Phase Space.
A.6 Quantum Probability Density Operator.
A.7 Problems.
Appendix B Exact Differentials.
Appendix C Ergodicity.
Appendix D Number Representation< /b>.
D.1 The Number Representation.
Appendix E Scattering Theory.
Appendix F Useful Mathematics and Information.
F.1 Series Expansions.
F.2 Reversion of Series.
F.3 Derivatives.
F.4 Integrals.
References.
Index.

Nota biograficzna:
Linda E. Reichl is Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Denver in 1969, then became a Faculty Associate at the University of Texas at Austin for two years. After that, she spent another two years at the Free University of Brussels as a Fulbright–Hays Research Scholar. She became Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin in 1973, Associate Professor in 1980, and Full Professor in 1988. Professor Reichl has served as Acting Director of the Center for Statistical Mechanics and Complex Systems since 1974. Her research ranges over a number of topics in statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics. They include the theory of low temperature Fermi liquids, quantum transport theory, application of linear hydrodynamics to translational and rotational Brownian motion and dielectric response, the transition to chaos in classical and quantum mechanical conservative systems, and the new field of stochastic chaos theory. Professor Reichl has published more than 100 research papers, has written three books, and has edited several volumes.

Okładka tylna:
A Modern Course in Statistical Physics is a textbook that provides a grounding in the foundations of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical physics, and focuses on the universal nature of thermodynamic processes. It illustrates fundamental concepts with examples from contemporary research problems. One focus of the book is fluctuations that occur due to the discrete nature of matter, a topic of growing importance for nanom eter scale physics and biophysics. Another focus concerns classical and quantum phase transitions, in both monatomic and mixed particle systems. The book treats such diverse topics as osmosis, steam engines, superfluids, Bose–Einstein condensates, quantum conductance, light scattering, transport processes, and dissipative structures, all in the framework of the foundations of statistical physics and thermodynamics. All classical physics is derived as limiting cases of quantum statistical physics.
This revised and updated third edition gives comprehensive coverage of numerous core topics and special applications, allowing professors flexibility in designing individualized courses. The inclusion of advanced topics and extensive references makes this an invaluable resource for researchers as well as students – a textbook that will be kept on the shelf long after the course is completed.
From the contents:Complexity and EntropyThermodynamicsThe Thermodynamics of Phase TransitionsEquilibrium Statistical Mechanics I: Canonical EnsembleEquilibrium Statistical Mechancis II: Grand Canonical EnsembleBrownian Motion and Fluctuation – DissipationHydrodynamicsTransport CoefficientsNonequilibrium Phase Transitions