PHY3203 Advanced Statistical Physics

1999-2000

Code: PHY3203
Title: Advanced Statistical Physics
Instructors: Staff of Foreign Host Institution
HE credits: 15
ECTS credits: 7.5
Availability: programmes F3Q4 and F3QK only
Level: 3
Prerequisites: none
Corequisites: none
Background Assumed: Statistical Physics (PHY2201)
Duration: Fall or Spring semester
Directed Study: 45 lectures (approx)
Private Study: 105 hours (approx)
Supports Programme Aims: 1, 5, 6 and 12
Supports Programme Objectives: none

Assessment Methods

Mid-semester papers (1 hr) and a final examination (3 hrs)

Rationale

This module aims to develop links between microscopic and macroscopic systems in order to describe the energy and thermal properties of collections of atoms in terms of the microscopic properties of their constituents.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• explain thermodynamic concepts, including the ideas of reversibility, thermal equilibrium under various conditions and entropy;
• explain the concepts of statistical mechanics;
• describe the thermal properties (e.g. specific heat and distribution functions) of generic materials (e.g. insulators, metals, paramagnets, and Fermi and Bose systems) based on simple models of their basic constituents;
• calculate the average occupation of the energy states of a large collection of non-interacting atoms.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Lectures and problems sessions

Transferable Skills

Techniques of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics

Assignments

Follow host institution's conventions

Module Text

Not applicable

Supplementary Reading

Not applicable

Syllabus Plan and Content

1. Review of thermodynamics and the statistical description of equilibrium
2. Thermal interaction
3. Microscopic theory and macroscopic measurements
4. Canonical distribution
5. Thermodynamic interaction, phase transitions
6. Elementary kinetic theory of transport
7. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions; black-body photon radiation

Recommended Module and Text in North America

Host Institution	Module	Text
Central Michigan	450 (Spring)	K Stowe, Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics
Iowa State
Kansas	671 (Fall)	Reif, Statistical Physics
New Mexico	505 (Spring)	K Huang, Statistical Mechanics

Feedback to Students

Follows host institution's conventions

Feedback from Students

In addition to using the host institution's systems, students can raise any matters of concern with the American Study Programme Co-ordinator.