Topics in Statistical Mechanics (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781860945649)

Building on the material learned by students in their first few years of study, this book presents an advanced level course on statistical and thermal physics. It begins with a review of the formal structure of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics considered from a unified viewpoint. After a brief revision of non-interacting systems, emphasis is laid on interacting systems. First, weakly interacting systems are considered, where the interest is in seeing how such interactions cause small deviations from the non-interacting case. Second, systems are examined where interactions lead to drastic changes, namely phase transitions. A number of specific examples are given, and these are unified within the Landau theory of phase transitions. The final chapter of the book looks at non-equilibrium systems and the way these evolve towards equilibrium. Here, fluctuations play a vital role, as is formalized in the Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem.

Author: Brian Cowan
ISBN-10: 1860945643
ISBN-13: 9781860945649
Publisher: Imperial College Press
Language: English
Published: 09/15/2005
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.37lbs
Size: 9.28h x 6.46w x 0.90d