| Topics in Statistical Mechanics (V3) Contributor(s): Brian Cowan (Author) |
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ISBN: 1860945694 ISBN-13: 9781860945694 Publisher: Imperial College Press OUR PRICE: $42.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2005 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Physics - Mathematical & Computational - Science | Mechanics - General |
| Dewey: 530.13 |
| LCCN: 2006296506 |
| Series: Imperial College Press Advanced Physics Texts |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6" W x 8.8" (1.15 lbs) 336 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |