Instructor: Miron Kaufman
OFFICE: SI-116, Email:m.kaufman@csuohio.edu

Class meets on: M and W 4:00-5:50PM in SI-147.

Prerequisites: PHY330 and PHY474.

Textbook: Callen: Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics; Kaufman Statistical Physics Computational Projects

Recommended Books: Schroeder An Introduction to Thermal Physics, Espinola Introduction to Thermophysics, Zemansky and Dittman Heat and Thermodynamics; Morse Thermal Physics; Reif Statistical and Thermal Physics, Huang Statistical Mechanics

Tentative Schedule

  • Week#1,2 Review of Thermodynamics Ch.12
  • Week#3,4 Microcanonical Ensemble; Application: Einstein Crystal; Paramagnet (Two States) Model, Polymer Model Ch.15
  • Week#5,6,7,8 Canonical Ensemble; Applications: Ideal Gas; Classical,Einstein and Debye Crystals; Paramagnet (Two States) Model; Blackbody Radiation Ch.16
  • Week#9 Grand-Canonical Ensemble; Application: Ideal Gas Ch.17
  • Week#10,11 Quantum Statistics: FermiDirac statistics Application: free electron model of metals.
  • Week#12,13 Quantum Statistics:BoseEinstein Distribution Ch.18
  • Week#14 Phase Transitions: Bose Condensation.
  • Week#15 Phase Transitions:Ising Model of Ferromagnetism Ch.20

Important Dates

  • No class: M January 16, M February 20, M March 13, W March 15.
  • Last day to withdraw from the course: F, March 31.

Exams Schedule

  • Exam #1 M, March 20
  • Exam #2 M, May 8

The final grade is a weighted average of:

  • Exam #1 30%
  • Exam #2 40%
  • Homework, Quizzes 10%
  • Computer Project 20%

Part of the course is a project in the computer lab of the Physics Department SI-117A. We will work nontrivial problems in Statistical Physics by using MathCAD on the following dates:

  • W, January 25:
    Computer lab #1: Tutorial, Gamma Function, and the Stirling Approximation
  • W, February 8:
    Computer lab #2b: Two-State Model, Negative Temperatures, and the Schottky Hump
    Computer lab #2a: Magnetic Cooling
  • W, February 22:
    Computer lab #3: Einstein and Debye Solids
  • W, March 9:
    Computer lab #4: Blackbody Radiation
  • W, March 23:
    Computer lab #5: Electron Gas
  • W, April 6:
    Computer lab #6: Bose-Einstein Gas
  • W, April 20
    Computer lab #7: Ising Model

HOMEWORK

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