This revised and enlarged second edition provides a clear and refreshingly readable introduction to statistical physics. It concentrates on an understanding of the physical ideas, without requiring a high level of mathematical sophistication.

In this revised and enlarged second edition of an established text, Tony Guénault provides a clear and refreshingly readable introduction to statistical physics. The treatment itself is self-contained and concentrates on an understanding of the physical ideas, without requiring a high level of mathematical sophistication.

The book adopts a straightforward quantum approach to statistical averaging from the outset. The initial part of the book is geared towards explaining the equilibrium properties of a simple isolated assembly of particles. Thus, several important topics, for example an ideal spin-½ solid, can be discussed at an early stage. The treatment of gases gives full coverage to Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics.

Towards the end of the book the reader is introduced to a wider viewpoint and new chapters are included on chemical thermodynamics, interactions in, for example, liquid helium-3 and helium-4, and statistics under extreme conditions.

A comprehensive and fundamental, but down-to-earth approach of statistical physics Also featuring statistics of gases, condensed matter physics, applications such as superfluids and astrophysics, and a discussion of chemical thermodynamics including chemical equilibrium

Autorentext

Tony Guénault is Emeritus Professor of Low Temperature Physics and a former Head of the School of Physics and Materials at Lancaster University, UK

Zusammenfassung
In this revised and enlarged second edition, Tony Guenault provides a clear and refreshingly readable introduction to statistical physics. The treatment itself is self-contained and concentrates on an understanding of the physical ideas, without requiring a high level of mathematical sophistication.

Inhalt
Basic ideas.- Distinguishable particles.- Two examples.- Gases: the density of states.- Gases: the distributions.- Maxwell-Boltzmann gases.- Diatomic gases.- Fermi-Dirac gases.- Bose-Einstein gases.- Entropy in other situations.- Phase transitions.- Two new ideas.- Chemical thermodynamics.- Dealing with interactions.- Statistics under extreme conditions.