Statistical Physics

Fundamentals and Application to Condensed Matter

The aim of this book is to provide the fundamentals of statistical physics and its application to condensed matter. The combination of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics has provided an understanding of properties of matter leading to spectacular technological innovations and discoveries in condensed matter which have radically changed our daily life.

The book gives the steps to follow to understand fundamental theories and to apply these to real materials.

Contents:

• Fundamentals of Statistical Physics:

  • Basic Concepts and Tools in Statistical Physics
  • Isolated Systems: Micro-Canonical Description
  • Systems at a Constant Temperature: Canonical Description
  • Open Systems at Constant Temperature: Grand-Canonical Description
  • Free Fermi Gas
  • Free Boson Gas
  • Systems of Interacting Particles: Method of Second Quantization

• Application to Condensed Matter:

  • Symmetry in Crystalline Solids
  • Interacting Atoms in Crystals: Phonons
  • Systems of Interacting Electrons — Fermi Liquids
  • Electrons in Crystalline Solids: Energy Bands
  • Systems of Interacting Spins: Magnons
  • Systems of Interacting Spins: Phase Transitions
  • Superconductivity
  • Transport in Metals and Semiconductors

• Solutions of Problems:

  • Solutions of Problems of Part 1
  • Solutions of Problems of Part 2

• Appendices:

  • Appendix A: Mathematical Complements and Table of Constants
  • Appendix B: Sommerfeld's Expansion at Low Temperatures
  • Appendix C: Origin of the Heisenberg Model
  • Appendix D: Hubbard Model: Superexchange
  • Appendix E: Kosterlitz-Thouless Phase Transition
  • Appendix F: Low- and High-Temperature Expansions of the Ising Model

Readership: For students, academics and researchers interested in statistical physics.
Key Features:

• The book is unique in its category because it combines the fundamentals of statistical physics and its application to condensed matter
• Topics in condensed matter are chosen among the most important and popular subjects for industrial applications
• The contents and materials presented in this book are based on the author's lectures given during many years at the University of Cergy-Pontoise
• The aim of this book is to provide the fundamentals of statistical physics and its application to condensed matter. The combination of statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics has provided an understanding of properties of matter leading to spectacular technological innovations and discoveries in condensed matter which have radically changed our daily life
• The book gives the steps to follow to understand fundamental theories and to apply these to real materials. It contains 139 well-selected problems with detailed solutions for self-training