Statistical Physics Vishnu Jejjala

This is a first course in statistical physics. The goal of this class is to study systems with a large
number of degrees of freedom. In investigating this subject, we explicate the microscopic origin of
thermodynamics.
There is little that is original in either my lectures or in the exercises that I will set. Indeed, many
of the questions are standard problems. In preparing this course for AIMS Ghana, I have made
very liberal use of the following resources, which I list as a partial bibliography.

• D. Chandler, Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics, Oxford University Press (1987).

• N. Goldenfeld, “Statistical Mechanics” lecture notes, Physics 462, University of Illinois

(1996).

• W. Greiner, L. Neise, and H. Stöcker, Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics, Springer

(1995).

• K. Huang, Statistical Mechanics, Wiley (1987).

• L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics, Pergamon (1970).

• J. McGreevy, “Statistical Mechanics” lecture notes, Physics 8.044, MIT (2012).

• R. K. Pathria and P. D. Beale, Statistical Mechanics, Elsevier (2011).

• D. Tong, “Statistical Physics” lecture notes, Part II, University of Cambridge (2012).

I learned statistical physics from Richard Prange at Maryland and Nigel Goldenfeld at Illinois.
Their teaching has shaped my understanding of this beautiful subject, and I gratefully acknowledge
my intellectual debt.

The course is organized as follows.

1. The microcanonical ensemble

2. The canonical ensemble

3. The grand canonical ensemble and the Gibbs free energy

4. Radiation

5. Bosons and fermions

6. A quick glance at phase transitions, the renormalization group, non-equilibrium statistical

physics, Shannon information, irreversibility

Physics is learned by solving problems. Tutorial sessions and homework assignments complement
the lectures.