PHY-806 Thermal Physics

Instructor:

Asghar Qadir

Main Textbook:
Author:
Publisher:
Referred as:

Thermal Physics
P.M. Morse
W.A. Benjamin Inc. 1969
PMM

Textbooks:
Author:
Publisher:
Referred as:

Fundamentals of Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics

B.N. Roy
John Wiley & Sons 2003
BNR

Course Contents:

The zeroth, first, second and third laws of thermodynamics and the
concepts of temperature, heat and entropy; the internal energy and
extensive and intensive variables; laws of radiation; the Maxwell
relations. The thermodynamic potentials. Phase and phase
transitions. Probability distributions; the Maxwell distribution;
distributions in phase space; fluctuations. Ensembles; Liouvilles
theorem; statistical interpretation of entropy; the microcanonical,
canonical and grand canonical ensembles; quantum statistics,
Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions; fermions and bosons;
Fermi and Bose degenerate gases.

PHY-806 Thermal Physics

Detailed Syllabus
Week
1

Ch. Sect.
BNR 3.2,
4.2-4.7,
5.3, 5.5
PMM 3, 4,5

PMM 6

PMM 7, 8

PMM 9

PMM 11

PMM 12, 13

PMM 15, 16

9
10

PMM 17,
18, 19
PMM 20

11

PMM 21

12

PMM 22, 23

13

PMM 24

14

PMM 25

15

PMM 24

Topics
The zeroth law and the definition of temperature. The first law
and the conservation of energy; equipartition of energy; reversible
and irreversible processes; the Carnot cycle.
Extensive and intensive variables. Equations of state. The internal
energy; heat capacity; isothermal and adiabatic processes; the
second law; heat engines; the Carnot cycle.
Entropy; reversible and irreversible processes; the chemical
potential; Eulers equation; entropy and internal energy; Van der
Waals gas; entropy of mixing; the third law.
Joules and Joule-Thompsons experiments. Black body radiation
and the laws of radiation. Thermodynamic potentials; enthalpy,
Helmholtz and Gibbs functions; the Maxwell relations;
thermodynamic equilibrium.
Solid, liquid and gaseous states. Changes of phase and phase
transitions. Clasius-Claperyon equation.
Probability theory; distribution functions; binomial and
multinomial distributions; Poisson distribution; normal
distribution; moments; random walk.
The Maxwell distribution; detailed balance. Distributions in phase
space; trajectories and densities in phase space; the Boltzmann
equation; Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution; degrees of freedom.
Equipartition of energy; Brownian motion; random walk.
Ensembles and distribution functions; Liouvilles theorem;
quantum states and phase space.
Entropy as the number of states; the microcanonical and
canonical ensembles.
Normal modes of vibration of a crystal; quantum states for the
normal modes; sum over modes. Partition function for a gas;
Debye formulae; magnetic entropy at low temperatures.
Factoring the partition function; the translation factor;
indistinguishability of molecules; the number of states; effects of
molecular interaction and van der Waals equation of state.
Diatomic gas. Grand canonical ensemble; ensemble with variable
number of particles; grand partition function; density fluctuations.
Quantum statistics; Maxwell-Boltzman particles; bosons and
fermions; comparison; distribution functions and fluctuations.
Bose-Einstein statistics; classical statistics of black body
radiation; Planck distribution; photon gas; degenerate boson gas.
Fermi-Dirac statistics and Fermion gas; band theory of electrons
in a metal; Fermi temperature and pressure; superconductivity.