Equilibrium Statistical Physics: Phases, Phase Transitions, and Topological Phases

ISBN-13: 9783030754341 / Angielski / Miękka / 2022

Marc Baus;Carlos F. Tejero

Opis

The purpose of this textbook is to introduce the student to a basic area of mac- scopic physics, namely the statistical mechanical study of the different phases of matter, as well as the phase transitions between them. Although many books on statistical physics, for both equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems, are already available, they largely differ in contents. This generally re ects not only the diff- ent interests of their authors, but also the epoch in which they were written. For instance, the early books did usually devote much space to problems of the solid state, whereaslater ones do include, moreover,several aspects of the liquid state. At present, however, the main emphasis in physics is on soft matter (e. g. liquid cr- tals, colloids, polymers), and therefore these particular states of matter have also been includedin this volume. The main purposeof this textbookwill consist, hence, in providing its students with a rst introduction, within the general framework of equilibrium statistical physics, to a much larger variety of phases and phase tran- tions than was previously the case for textbooks of statistical mechanics. Many of these novel topics do, of course, deserve a more detailed study than the one which can be provided here. Indeed, in the spirit of a rst introduction, only very simple models of these phases will be given, but more detailed informationcan be found in the suggestions for further reading given in the References.

Spis treści

Basics.- Mechanics.- Thermodynamics.- Statistical Physics.- Ideal Systems.- Microcanonical Ensemble.- Canonical Ensemble.- Grand Canonical Ensemble.- Non-ideal Systems.- Classical Systems with Interactions.- Phases of Matter.- Phase Transitions.- More Advanced Topics.- Critical Phenomena.- Interfaces.- Topological Defects.- Phase Transformation Kinetics.

O autorze

Marc Baus has been teaching the statistical mechanics course at the Faculté des Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium for several years. As a Directeur de Recherches of the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, he has published more than a hundred research papers in the areas of plasma physics and phase transitions .

Carlos F. Tejero has been professor of thermodynamics and statistical physics at the Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. As Investigador Principal he has directed various investigations in the field of phases of matter and soft matter.

Both authors have collaborated for more than thirty years.

Blurb

This textbook gradually introduces students to the statistical mechanical study of the different phases of matter and to the phase transitions between them. It uses simple yet fully detailed models of both hard and soft matter systems to demonstrate core concepts, developing the subject matter in a thorough and accessible pedagogical manner throughout. Starting from an introduction to basic thermodynamics and statistical physics, the book progresses from ideal, non-interacting systems to real systems exhibiting classical interactions and phase transitions. It concludes with a selection of more advanced topics, such as the renormalisation group approach to critical phenomena, the density functional theory of interfaces, and kinematic aspects of the phase transformation process.

This updated second edition features a considerably expanded study of the topology of the phases, including applications to modern problems such as topological defects of nematic liquid crystals and the topological phase transition of a two-dimensional spin system. Along with a complete introductory overview of the theory of phase transitions, this textbook provides students with ample material for deeper study. References include suggestions for more detailed treatments and six appendices supply overviews of the mathematical tools employed in the text.