Building on the material learned by students in their first few years of study, this book presents an advanced level course on statistical and thermal physics. It begins with a review of the formal structure of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics considered from a unified viewpoint. After a brief revision of non-interacting systems, emphasis is laid on interacting systems. First, weakly interacting systems are considered, where the interest is in seeing how such interactions cause small deviations from the non-interacting case. Second, systems are examined where interactions lead to drastic changes, namely phase transitions. A number of specific examples are given, and these are unified within the Landau theory of phase transitions. The final chapter of the book looks at non-equilibrium systems and the way these evolve towards equilibrium. Here, fluctuations play a vital role, as is formalized in the Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem.
Reviews
"This is an excellent graduate-level textbook that grew out of a largely online intercollegiate course given by the author to fourth-year students in the United Kingdom. The text is concise but provides an accurate and well-balanced introduction to a remarkable breadth of topics, with an emphasis even on modern aspects such as the statistical mechanics of phase transitions and non-equilibrium dynamics ... Cowan has managed to capture the rich field of statistical mechanics in a concise and truly excellent exposition. His text should be accessible to good advanced undergraduates, and certainly to first- or second-year graduate students in physics, mathematics, or engineering." Mathematical Reviews



Book Information
ISBN 9781860945649
Author Brian Cowan
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Imperial College Press
Publisher Imperial College Press