Text: “Statistical Mechanics”, R.K. Pathria and Paul D. Beale. Third Edition, Elsevier.
Most of the
homework problems will be from the class textbook. The lectures are
posted in the class
website.
Secondary books:
i) ``Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics'', F. Reif, Waveland Press.
ii) “Statistical Physics of Particles”, M. Kardar, Bambridge University Press.
The lectures will follow the structure of the class textbook Pathria, but some materials from Reif's and Kardar's books may also be used.
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 2:10 PM to 3:25 PM.
Room: 306 Nielsen Building.
Instructor: Prof. Adriana Moreo - Rm 303 South College Building.
Office Hours: Monday 2:15PM to 3:15PM. I also will be available by request.
Phone: 974-2084 (UTK) or 241-1698 (ORNL). E-mail: amoreo@utk.edu
Web Page: http://sces.phys.utk.edu/~moreo/sm16/index.html
HOMEWORK: Due on Tuesday at the beginning of the class following assignment on preceding Tuesday. Late homework will not be accepted. The assignments will be listed in the webpage. The homework will be graded and returned to you. Each problem will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10. The homework grade will be normalized at the end of the semester to 30 points and it will result from the average of all homework sets excluding the one with the lowest grade. Solutions to all homework problems in pdf format will be sent to the students by e-mail. Those solutions are for your personal use and you should not share them with other students nor post them on-line.
MIDTERM
EXAMS: There will be two midterm exams administered during class and
with a take home part. Class notes can be used in the exams.
GRADING:
20 points for each midterm exam.
30 points for homework.
10 points for class participation.
20 points for final exam.
|
WEEK |
#per |
Subjects (Tentative) |
Chapter in Pathria |
|
1st |
1 |
The Statistical Basis of Thermodynamics |
1 |
|
2nd |
2 |
Elements of Ensemble Theory |
2 |
|
3rd |
1 |
The Canonical Ensemble |
3 |
|
4th |
2 |
The Canonical and Grand Canonical Ensembles |
3-4 |
|
5th |
2 |
Formulation of Quantum Statistics |
5 |
|
6th |
2 |
The theory of Simple Gases |
6 |
|
7th |
2 |
Ideal Bose Systems |
7 |
|
8th |
1 |
Ideal Fermi Systems Fall Break |
8 |
|
9th |
1 |
Ideal Fermi Systems First Midterm Exam – Thursday, October 13. |
8 |
|
10th |
2 |
Statistical Mechanics of Interacting Systems |
10 |
|
11th |
2 |
Virial coefficients |
10 |
|
12th |
2 |
Phase Transitions: Criticality, Universality, and Scaling |
12 |
|
13th |
1 |
van der Waals gas Second Midterm Exam – Thursday, November 10. |
12 |
|
14th |
2 |
Ising Model |
12 |
|
15th |
1 |
The role of correlations and fluctuations Thanksgiving |
12 |
|
16th |
2 |
Review. |
|
Final
Exam: Thursday December 8
from
12:30
PM
to 2:30
PM.
Any
student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact
of
a disability should contact me privately to discuss your
specific needs.
Please contact the Office of Disability Services
at 865-974-6087 in Hoskins
Library to coordinate reasonable
accommodations for students with documented
disabilities.