\"A Modern Course in Statistical Physics" is a textbook that provides a grounding in the foundations of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical physics, and focuses on the universal nature of thermodynamic processes. It illustrates fundamental concepts with examples from contemporary research problems.
All classical statistical physics is derived as limiting cases of quantum statistical physics. All in the framework of the foundations of statistical physics and thermodynamics, the book treats such diverse topics as osmosis, steam engines, superfluids, Bose-Einstein condensates, quantum conductance, light scattering, transport processes, and dissipative structures, all in the framework of the foundations of statistical physics and thermodynamics. One focus of the book is fluctuations that occur due to the discrete nature of matter, a topic of growing importance for nanometer scale physics and biophysics. Another focus concerns classical and quantum phase transitions, in both monatomic and mixed particle systems.
This fourth edition includes a survey of new developments in statistical physics, covering latest methods of quantum statistical mechanics and modern formulations arising from quantum field theory. Newest findings on thermalization and equilibration of many-body quantum systems are integrated, as well as modern aspects of turbulent hydrodynamic flow and recently established fluctuation theorems.
A set of exercises and problems is to be found at the end of each chapter. The appendices cover Exact Differencitals, Ergodicity, Number Representation, Scattering Theore, and almost a short course on Probability.
