Course Details
Subject {L-T-P / C} : PH4008 : Basic Statistical Physics { 3-0-0 / 3}
Subject Nature : Theory
Coordinator : Prof. Sanjoy Datta
Syllabus
Review of thermodynamics - Laws of thermodynamics, entropy, thermodynamic potentials
& Maxwell’s relations, chemical potential & phase equilibria Equilibrium statistical
mechanics- phase space, microstates, macrostates, micro-canonical, canonical & grand-
canonical ensembles & and partition functions Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac & Bose-
Einstein distributions, applications of statistical mechanics to ideal quantum gas,
interacting systems, theories of phase transitions.
Course Objectives
- Students are going to learn how random events lead to a predictable conclusion which forms the basis of thermodynamic equilibrium.
- Students will learn in depth the technicalities of various microscopic approach that are used to calculate thermodynamic observables analytically for a system at equilibrium and how to apply them for a classical system.
- They will also learn how to deal with quantum system of non-interacting particles in equilibrium.
Course Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will have in-depth knowledge of the microscopic origin of the equation of states for thermodynamic systems. Additionally, they will also acquire the skills to obtain the analytical expression of the equation of states for non-interacting thermodynamic systems.
Essential Reading
- F. Reif, Fundamentals of Statistical Physics, McGraw Hill
- S. Salinas, Introduction to Statistical Physics, Springer (India)
Supplementary Reading
- H. B. Callen, Thermodynamics & an Introduction to Thermostatistics, John Wiley
- M. Kardar, Statistical Physics of Particles, Cambridge University Press