Lecture Notes

SES # Topics
I. Thermodynamics
L1 Fundamental Definitions, The Zeroth Law, The First Law (PDF)
L2 The Second Law, Carnot Engines and Thermodynamic Temperature, Entropy (PDF)
L3 Approach to Equilibrium and Thermodynamic Potentials, Useful Mathematical Results (PDF)
L4 Stability Conditions, The Third Law (PDF)
II. Probability
L5 General Definitions, One Random Variable, Some Important Probability Distributions (PDF)
L6 Many Random Variables, Sums of Random Variables and the Central Limit Theorem, Rules for Large Numbers, Information, Entropy, and Estimation (PDF)
III. Kinetic Theory of Gases
L7 General Definitions, Liouville's Theorem (PDF)
L8 The Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon Hierarchy, The Boltzmann Equation (PDF)
L9 The H-Theorem and Irreversibility, Equilibrium Properties (PDF)
L10 Conservation Laws (PDF)
L11 Zeroth Order Hydrodynamics, First Order Hydrodynamics (PDF)
IV. Classical Statistical Mechanics
L12 General Definitions, The Microcanonical Ensemble, Two-Level Systems (PDF)
L13 The Ideal Gas, Mixing Entropy and Gibbs' Paradox, The Canonical Ensemble (PDF)
L14 Examples, The Gibbs Canonical Ensemble, The Grand Canonical Ensemble (PDF)
V. Interacting Particles
L15 The Cumulant Expansion (PDF)
L16 The Cluster Expansion (PDF)
L17 The Second Virial Coefficient and van der Waals Equation, Breakdown of the van der Waals Equation, Mean Field Theory of Condensation (PDF)
L18 Variational Methods, Corresponding States, Critical Point Behavior (PDF)
VI. Quantum Statistical Mechanics
L19 Dilute Polyatomic Gases, Vibrations of a Solid, Black-body Radiation (PDF)
L20 Quantum Microstates, Quantum Macrostates (PDF)
VII. Ideal Quantum Gases
L21 Hilbert Space of Identical Particles (PDF)
L22 Canonical Formulation, Grand Canonical Formulation (PDF)
L23 Non-relativistic Gas, The Degenerate Fermi Gas (PDF)
L24 The Degenerate Bose Gas (PDF)
L25 Superfluid He4 (PDF)
L26 Superfluid He4 (cont.)