Instructor: Andrew Belmonte
Contact info: 302 McAllister Building, telephone: 865-2491, email: belmonte@math.psu.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 11-12, and by appointment.
Class location: 103 Osmond Lab.
Grader: Igor Volkov, who can be reached at volkov@psu.edu
Prerequisites: Advanced calculus, mechanics, general physics; rudiments of theromdynamics and probability. For more information, please contact the instructor.
Web Page: http://www.math.psu.edu/belmonte/statmech.html
Course Texts (required):
Supplementary Texts (optional):
| Make-up Class II: Tues 4/23, 8-9 PM - 115 McAllister Bldg | Lectures | Problem sets |
This one semester graduate course provides a detailed
introduction to statistical mechanics, one of the most fundamental
and successful theories of matter. We will focus on its foundations
(ensembles, partition functions, equilibrium, entropy, etc.) and
uses in explaining the laws of thermodynamics, phase transitions, and
quantum phenomena. Statistical mechanics also serves as a paradigm
for statistical approaches to other, more complex systems. We will
indicate some of these directions, while covering aspects of
nonequilibrium situations.
The basic syllabus for this course will be as follows:
I. Review of thermodynamics
II. Ensemble Theory
III. Quantum statistics
IV. Phase transitions
V. Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics