Statistical Mechanics

Course Outlines

Course Code - PHY-610

1. Laws of thermodynamics
2. Thermodynamic variables
3. Reversible adiabatic changes
4. Entropy
5. Microstates and macrostates
6. Ensembles and ensemble averaging
7. Approach to equilibrium
8. Classical probability
9. Statistical probability
10.Binomial and Gaussian probability distributions
11.Central limit theorem
12.Microcanonical systems
13.Quantum state
14.Entropy and equilibrium in a microcanonical system
15.Canonical ensemble
16.Partition function
17.Entropy in canonical system
18.Boltzmann distribution
19.Thermodynamical averages
20.Applications to single particle
21.Factorization of partition function
22.Equipartition theorem
23.Free energy and its minimization
24.Gibbs and Helmholtz free energy and applications
25.Maxwell distribution of molecular speeds
26.Classical probability of a state

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 27.Maxwell-Boltzmann probability distribution
28.Density of states in k-space
29.Distribution of speeds in a classical gas
30.Black body radiation
31.Rayleigh-Jeans theory
32.Planck distribution
33. Free energy of a photon gas
34.Stefan-Boltzmann formula
35.Phonons
36.Systems with variable number of particles
37.Chemical potential
38.Grand canonical ensemble
39.Relation to thermodynamic variables
40.Identical particles
41.Fermions and bosons
42.Partition function for identical particles
43.Semi-classical approximations
44.Identical particles localized on a lattice
45.Thermodynamic properties of a Fermi gas
46.Bose condensation

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