Instructor: Rob Kiefl
Office: Hennings 407
Phone: 822-3037
Lab: TRIUMF 222-7511
email: kiefl@triumf.ca
TAs:
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Recommended References:
Thermal Physics, Charles Kittel
and Herbert Kroemer, 2nd Edition, W.H Freeman and Company 1980;
It’s a classic.
Thermodynamics and Statistical
Mechanics, W. Greiner, L. Heise, H. Stoecker, Springer, 1995;
format is more formal and mathematical
Thermal Physics, Daniel
Schroeder, Addison Wesley 1999. Good explanations less
mathematical.
Course Outline 2019
1. Introduction: thermodynamics
versus statistical mechanics
2. Microstates, macrostates, multiplicity and the spin ½ magnet.
3. Entropy, absolute temperature
and free energy.
4. The canonical distribution, Boltzman factor and partition function
5. Density of states and the
equipartition of energy.
6. Grand partition function,
Gibbs factor, and
chemical potential.
7 Ideal gases
8.
Fermi-Dirac, Bose and
Maxwell Boltzman distributions of perfect gases.
9. Black body radiation and the
photon gas
10. Bose-Einstein condensation;
superfluid He and cold atoms
11. Degenerate Fermi gas,
metals, white dwarfs and neutron stars
12. Review
Student Expectations
1. Attendance is mandatory.
2. Be prepared for a short quiz on concepts at any time.
Marking Scheme;
In Class Exercises 10%
Problems 10%
Quizzes 10%
Midterms 20%
Final 50%
Notes:
1.
Introduction