Foundations of Classical and Quantum Statistical Mechanics

Foundations of Classical and Quantum Statistical Mechanics
Author: R. Jancel
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1483186261

Foundations of Classical and Quantum Statistical Mechanics details the theoretical foundation the supports the concepts in classical and quantum statistical mechanics. The title discusses the various problems set by the theoretical justification of statistical mechanics methods. The text first covers the the ergodic theory in classical statistical mechanics, and then proceeds to tackling quantum mechanical ensembles. Next, the selection discusses the the ergodic theorem in quantum statistical mechanics and probability quantum ergodic theorems. The selection also details H-theorems and kinetic equations in classical and quantum statistical mechanics. The book will be of great interest to students, researchers, and practitioners of physics, chemistry, and engineering.

Statistical Mechanics

Statistical Mechanics
Author: Giuseppe Morandi
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 678
Release: 2001
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789810244774

This book covers the foundations of classical thermodynamics, with emphasis on the use of differential forms of classical and quantum statistical mechanics, and also on the foundational aspects. In both contexts, a number of applications are considered in detail, such as the general theory of response, correlations and fluctuations, and classical and quantum spin systems. In the quantum case, a self-contained introduction to path integral methods is given. In addition, the book discusses phase transitions and critical phenomena, with applications to the Landau theory and to the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity, and also to the phenomenon of Bose condensation and of superfluidity. Finally, there is a careful discussion on the use of the renormalization group in the study of critical phenomena.

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Statistical Mechanics

Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Statistical Mechanics
Author: D.Y. Petrina
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 940110185X

This monograph is devoted to quantum statistical mechanics. It can be regarded as a continuation of the book "Mathematical Foundations of Classical Statistical Mechanics. Continuous Systems" (Gordon & Breach SP, 1989) written together with my colleagues V. I. Gerasimenko and P. V. Malyshev. Taken together, these books give a complete pre sentation of the statistical mechanics of continuous systems, both quantum and classical, from the common point of view. Both books have similar contents. They deal with the investigation of states of in finite systems, which are described by infinite sequences of statistical operators (reduced density matrices) or Green's functions in the quantum case and by infinite sequences of distribution functions in the classical case. The equations of state and their solutions are the main object of investigation in these books. For infinite systems, the solutions of the equations of state are constructed by using the thermodynamic limit procedure, accord ing to which we first find a solution for a system of finitely many particles and then let the number of particles and the volume of a region tend to infinity keeping the density of particles constant. However, the style of presentation in these books is quite different.

Foundations of Statistical Mechanics

Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
Author: W.T. Grandy Jr.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400938675

In a certain sense this book has been twenty-five years in the writing, since I first struggled with the foundations of the subject as a graduate student. It has taken that long to develop a deep appreciation of what Gibbs was attempting to convey to us near the end of his life and to understand fully the same ideas as resurrected by E.T. Jaynes much later. Many classes of students were destined to help me sharpen these thoughts before I finally felt confident that, for me at least, the foundations of the subject had been clarified sufficiently. More than anything, this work strives to address the following questions: What is statistical mechanics? Why is this approach so extraordinarily effective in describing bulk matter in terms of its constituents? The response given here is in the form of a very definite point of view-the principle of maximum entropy (PME). There have been earlier attempts to approach the subject in this way, to be sure, reflected in the books by Tribus [Thermostat ics and Thermodynamics, Van Nostrand, 1961], Baierlein [Atoms and Information Theory, Freeman, 1971], and Hobson [Concepts in Statistical Mechanics, Gordon and Breach, 1971].

Foundations of Statistical Mechanics

Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
Author: O. Penrose
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2016-09-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1483156486

International Series of Monographs in Natural Philosophy, Volume 22: Foundations of Statistical Mechanics: A Deductive Treatment presents the main approaches to the basic problems of statistical mechanics. This book examines the theory that provides explicit recognition to the limitations on one's powers of observation. Organized into six chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the main physical assumptions and their idealization in the form of postulates. This text then examines the consequences of these postulates that culminate in a derivation of the fundamental formula for calculating probabilities in terms of dynamic quantities. Other chapters provide a careful analysis of the significant notion of entropy, which shows the links between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and also between communication theory and statistical mechanics. The final chapter deals with the thermodynamic concept of entropy. This book is intended to be suitable for students of theoretical physics. Probability theorists, statisticians, and philosophers will also find this book useful.

The Road to Maxwell's Demon

The Road to Maxwell's Demon
Author: Meir Hemmo
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2012-09-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1139576879

Time asymmetric phenomena are successfully predicted by statistical mechanics. Yet the foundations of this theory are surprisingly shaky. Its explanation for the ease of mixing milk with coffee is incomplete, and even implies that un-mixing them should be just as easy. In this book the authors develop a new conceptual foundation for statistical mechanics that addresses this difficulty. Explaining the notions of macrostates, probability, measurement, memory, and the arrow of time in statistical mechanics, they reach the startling conclusion that Maxwell's Demon, the famous perpetuum mobile, is consistent with the fundamental physical laws. Mathematical treatments are avoided where possible, and instead the authors use novel diagrams to illustrate the text. This is a fascinating book for graduate students and researchers interested in the foundations and philosophy of physics.

Works on the Foundations of Statistical Physics

Works on the Foundations of Statistical Physics
Author: Nikolai Sergeevich Krylov
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2014-07-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1400854741

Initially published in Moscow in 1950 following the author's death, this book contains the first chapters of a large monograph Krylov planned entitled The foundations of physical statistics," his doctoral thesis on "The processes of relaxation of statistical systems and the criterion of mechanical instability," and a small paper entitled "On the description of exhaustively complete experiments." Originally published in 1980. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Foundations of Classical and Quantum Electrodynamics

Foundations of Classical and Quantum Electrodynamics
Author: Igor N. Toptygin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 739
Release: 2013-12-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3527677518

This advanced textbook covers many fundamental, traditional and new branches of electrodynamics, as well as the related fields of special relativity, quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. The book introduces the material at different levels, oriented towards 3rd-4th year bachelor, master, and PhD students. This is so as to describe the whole complexity of physical phenomena, instead of a mosaic of disconnected data. The required mathematical background is collated in Chapter 1, while the necessary physical background is included in the main text of the corresponding chapters and also given in appendices. The content is based on teaching material tested on students over many years, and their training to apply general theory for solving scientific and engineering problems. To this aim, the book contains approximately 800 examples and problems, many of which are described in detail. Some of these problems are designed for students to work on their own with only the answers and descriptions of results, and may be solved selectively. The examples are key ingredients to the theoretical course; the user should study all of them while reading the corresponding chapters. Equally suitable as a reference for researchers specialized in science and engineering.

Foundations and Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

Foundations and Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Author: Gennaro Auletta
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 1030
Release: 2001
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789810246143

The aim of this book is twofold: to provide a comprehensive account of the foundations of the theory and to outline a theoretical and philosophical interpretation suggested from the results of the last twenty years.There is a need to provide an account of the foundations of the theory because recent experience has largely confirmed the theory and offered a wealth of new discoveries and possibilities. On the other side, the following results have generated a new basis for discussing the problem of the interpretation: the new developments in measurement theory; the experimental generation of ?Schr”dinger cats?; recent developments which allow, for the first time, the simultaneous measurement of complementary observables; quantum information processing, teleportation and computation.To accomplish this task, the book combines historical, systematic and thematic approaches.