Department of Physics, University of
Utah
Course Number: Physics 5460 (4)
Course Title: Statistical Mechanics
- REPRESENTATIVE TEXTBOOK
- Thermal PhysicsKittel & Kroemer (Freeman)
- COURSE DESCRIPTION
- The statistical mechanics course begins with the quantum mechanics of identical particles,
emphasizing the very large degeneracy of many-particle states. The thermodynamic concepts of
entropy and temperature are then introduced and explored by means of extensive examples, and
the laws of thermodynamics derived from the fundamental assumption that all available states are
equally likely. Ensembles are introduced both theoretically and experimentally as appropriate
reservoirs, and correlations and fluctuations examined. Then the ideal fluids are examined in
detail, and their significance as useful approximations in many important situations emphasized.
Finally, interactions are introduced through the study of phase transitions and transport.
- PRE-REQUISITES
- PHYCS 5450 & 3760
- OTHER COMMENTS
- None
- MANDATORY TOPICS (approximately 2 weeks each)
- Topic 1:
- Identical Particles and Many-body States
- Topic 2:
- Entropy and Temperature
- Topic 3:
- Thermodynamics
- Topic 4:
- Ensembles and Fluctuations
- Topic 5:
- Ideal Fluids - Fermi, Bose and Classical
- Topic 6:
- Phase Transitions
- Topic 7:
- Kinetic Theory and Transport
- Links to exisiting web page for this course:
- Currently does not exist.
-
Prepared by Bill Sutherland (3/4/99)