Statistical Physics

Michael Cross, Caltech: Physics 127a

The first term covers the basic principles of statistical mechanics, applications to simple systems that can be solved exactly, and the connections with thermodynamics, including a review of the basic ideas of thermodynamics. These notes are not intended to be a complete account of the class discussion, but attempt to summarize the main points.

Lecture 1: The Fundamental Postulate
Lecture 2: A Simple Probability Example
Lecture 3: Motivation for Fundamental Postulate (Classical)
- Studies of Nonlinear Problems by Fermi, Pasta, Ulam
- Everything you always wanted to know about the Toda equation
Lecture 4: Entropy
Lecture 5: Energy, Heat and the Carnot Cycle
Lecture 6: Canonical Ensemble
Lecture 7: Canonical Ensemble - Simple Examples
Lecture 8: Polymers
- Review paper by Michel Peyrard on the statistical physics of DNA
Lecture 9: Grand Canonical Ensemble
Lecture 10: Other Ensembles/Thermodynamic Potentials
- Handout on Thermodynamic Potentials
- Phases and Phase Diagrams: Gibbs' Legacy Today, Michael Fisher in Proceedings of the Gibbs Symposium, Yale University, (1989), pp. 39–72
Lecture 11: Entropy, Information and Maxwell's Demon
Lecture 12: Quantum Statistical Mechanics
Lecture 13: Ideal Quantum Gases
Lecture 14: Bose Condensation
- Mathematica notebook on Bose functions.
Lecture 15: Statistical Mechanics of Superfluidity
Lecture 16: Photons and Phonons
Lecture 17: Ideal Fermi Gas
- Handout on diamagnetism of an electron gas.
Lecture 18: Gases with Internal Degrees of Freedom
Lecture 19: Molecular Gases

All files are in Acrobat (pdf) format

Last modified: 5 October, 2006
Michael Cross