PHYS 621 Statistical Mechanics I

Statistical basis of thermodynamics. Ensemble theory. Liouville and Poincaré Theorems. Microcanonical, Canonical and Grand-Canonical ensembles. Gibbs paradox and particle indistinguishability. Ideal gases treated with Classical and Quantum statistics and ensembles. Simple gases of atoms and molecules in the classical limit. Kinetic theory. Analysis of the H-Theorem, irreversibility and recurrence.