1. Aims of Statistical Mechanics
Fundamental Laws  Real World
Microscopic  Macroscopic
Theory  Experiment
Atoms  Thermodynamics / Life

2. Why Statistics? Microstate: DoF ~ 1023 Macrostate: DoF ~ 100
Lost of Information
 Statistics
 New Regularities

3. History Thermodynamics Kinetic Theory Ensemble Theory
Quantum Statistics

4. First Goals Re-derive thermodynamics.
Understand systems of non-interacting particles.
Incorporate quantum features.

5. Early Successes Linear response theory Quantum transport
Fluctuation – dissipation theorem
Quantum transport
Finite temperature quantum field theory
Quantum Boltzmann equation
Critical phenomena
Renormalization group

6. Recent Interests Nonequilibrium Systems
Dynamical Phase Transitions
Quantum Transport
Micro Reversibility  Macro Irreversibility
Arrow of Time / Chaos
Self Organization
Complexity / Life

7. Statistical Physics: An Introductory Course
D.J. Amit & Y. Verbin
The Open University of Israel
World Scientific (1999)

8. Simple systems  Profound ideas Exercises with Solutions
Approach
Simple systems  Profound ideas
Exercises with Solutions

9. Content The Kinetic Theory of Gases
Statistical Physics with Paramagnets
Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics
From Ideal Gas to Photon Gas
Of Fermions and Bosons

10. References L.D. Landau, E.M.Lifshitz,
“Statistical Physics”, Part 1, 3rd ed.,
Vol 5 of “Course of Theoretical Physics”,
Pergamon (1975)
R.P. Feynman,
“Statistical Mechanics”,
Benjamin (1972)
F. Reif,
“Fundamentals of Statistical & Thermal Physics”,
MacGraw Hill (1965)
L.E. Reichl,
“A Modern Course in Statistical Physics”, 2nd ed.,
Wiley (1998)

11. Web Site: http://ckw.phys.ncku.edu.tw