PHYSICS 524, Thermodynamics Statistical mechanics

MW 9:30-10:50 and F 9:30-10:20 in A114.

Office hours: after lectures

Instructor Boris Spivak

Office B440, PAB

Email: spivak@uw.edu

Books: L.D. Landau, I.M. Lifshitz, Statistical Mechanics Part 1,

EXAMS:

Midterm : Nov. 14

Final: 8:30-10:20, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

Fundamental Principles of Statistical Physics. Chapter I

Microscopic and macroscopic states. Statistical description. Liouville’s theorem. Gibbs subsystems. Statistical independence. Microcanonical and Canonical distributions (ensembles). Density matrix. Entropy. Second law of thermodynamics.

Jan. 12 – Thermodynamic Quantities. Chapter II (You may skip sections 17, 26, and 27). Temperature. Macroscopic motion. Adiabatic process. Work and heat. Thermodynamic potentials: Energy E(S,V), Enthalpy W(S,P), Helmholtz free energy F(T,V), the Gibbs free energy (the thermodynamic potential) Φ(T,P). Theorem of small increments. Method of Jacobians. Maximal work in an external medium. Thermodynamic inequalities. Le Chatelier’s principle. Nernst’s theorem. Dependence on the number of particles, chemical potential μ, and the grand canonical potential Ω(T,V,μ). Equilibrium in an external field.

The Gibbs distribution. Chapter III, sections 28-31, 35, 36.

The Gibbs distribution. The Maxwell distribution. The partition function. Canonical and grand canonical ensemble. Derivation of the thermodynamic relations from the Gibbs distribution.

Ideal gases. Chapter IV, sections 37-48, 52.

Fermi and Bose distributions, Chapter V, sections 53-63.

Fermi distribution from the Gibbs distribution. Degenerate Fermi gas. Degeneracy pressure. Specific heat. Sommerfeld expansion. Landau diamagnetism and Pauli paramagnetism. Degenerate Bose gas, Bose-Einstein condensation. Black body radiation.

Non-ideal gases, Chapter VII, sections 74, 76.

Phase equilibrium, Chapter VIII, sections 81, 82.

Grading policy: Homework-  20%, Midterms - 30%, Final-  50%

HW