Statistical Thermodynamics

This 2006 textbook discusses the fundamentals and applications of statistical thermodynamics for beginning graduate students in the physical and engineering sciences. Building on the prototypical Maxwell-Boltzmann method and maintaining a step-by-step development of the subject, this book assumes the reader has no previous exposure to statistics, quantum mechanics or spectroscopy. The book begins with the essentials of statistical thermodynamics, pauses to recover needed knowledge from quantum mechanics and spectroscopy, and then moves on to applications involving ideal gases, the solid state and radiation. A full introduction to kinetic theory is provided, including its applications to transport phenomena and chemical kinetics. A highlight of the textbook is its discussion of modern applications, such as laser-based diagnostics. The book concludes with a thorough presentation of the ensemble method, featuring its use for real gases. Numerous examples and prompted homework problems enrich the text.Preface; 1. Introduction; Part I. Fundamentals of Statistical Thermodynamics: 2. Probability and statistics; Problem set I. Probability theory and statistical mathematics; 3. The statistics of independent particles; 4. Thermodynamics properties in the dilute limit; Problem set II. Statistical modeling for thermodynamics; Part II. Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy: 5. Basics of quantum mechanics; 6. Quantum analysis of internal energy modes; 7. The spectroscopy of diatomic molecules; Problem set III. Quantum mechanics and spectroscopy; Part III. Statistical Thermodynamics in the Dilute Limit: 8. Interlude: from particle to assembly; 9. Thermodynamic properties of the ideal gas; Problem set IV. Thermodynamic properties of the ideal gas; 10. Statistical thermodynamics for ideal gas mixtures; 11. Concentration and temperature measurements; Problem set V. Chemical equilibrium and diagnostics; Part IV. Statistical Thermodynamics beyond the Dilute Limit: 12. Thermodynamics and information; 13. Elements of the solid state; 14. Equilibrium radiation; Problem set VI. The solid state and radiation; Part V. Non-Equilibrium Statistical Thermodynamics: 15. Elementary kinetic theory; 16. Kinetics of molecular transport; 17. Chemical kinetics; Problem set VII. Kinetic theory and molecular transport; Part VI. The Ensemble Method of Statistical Thermodynamics: 18. The canonical and grand canonical ensembles; 19. Applications of ensemble theory to real gases; Problem set VIII. Ensemble theory and the non-ideal gas; 20. Whence and whither; Part VII. Appendices; Index.