Courses Detail Information
MSE6204J – Statistical Physics
Instructors:
Credits: 3
Pre-requisites: PHYS2400/2401/2500/2600J
Description:
Statistical physics describes systems consisting of many particles. These systems include not only gases, liquids, and solids, but also insect swarms, animal herds, and robot collectives. Historically, the development of statistical physics is intertwined with the development of classical thermodynamics, but more recently, methods developed in statistical physics have been used in a wide range of areas, including robotics, biology, and finance. This course is intended for students who have completed college-level introductory physics courses and who want to learn statistical and stochastic methods exemplified in statistical physics. We will begin with the statistical physics of macroscopic equilibrium systems and introduce statistical descriptions and methods to investigate these systems. Next, we introduce stochastic methods to describe mesoscopic systems where fluctuations are important. Finally, we briefly introduce stochastic thermodynamics, including some significant recent developments in the 21st century, such as fluctuation theorems, information thermodynamics, and active matter.
Course Topics:
Overview and introduction to statistical methods
Stochastic variables
Statistical description of systems of particles
Statistical thermodynamics
Macroscopic parameters and their measurements
Simple applications of macroscopic thermodynamicsBasic methods and results of stat. mech.Basic methods and results of stat. mech. ll
Applications of statistical mechanics: partition functions, ideal monatomic gas
Applications of statistical mechanics: equipartition theorem, paramagnetism, kinetic theory ofdilute gases in equilibrium
Equilibrium between phases and chemical species
Systems of interacting particles: solids, non-ideal gas, magnetism
Stochastic processes
Markov processes
The Fokker-Planck equation
The Langevin approach
Stochastic thermodynamics