PHYSICS 182: STATISTICAL PHYSICS AND THERMODYNAMICS

 

Offered every other FALL semester.

 

Teacher: Athanasios Petridis

                Harvey Ingham 31C

                Phone: (515) 271-3723

                E-Mail: Athan.Petridis@drake.edu

 

Office Hours: MWF, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

 

Class Schedule: MWF, 2:00 pm – 3:10 pm.

Textbook: “Thermal Physics” by C. Kittel and H. Kroemer (Freeman Publishing, 2nd edition).

Homework: 1 assignment per week (25 points total).

Exams: 2 exams during the semester (15 points each),

              1 non-comprehensive final (30 points),

              One 5-minute written question at the beginning of each class (15 points total).

Grading:    100 <=  points  <= 85  is  A

                     85 <    points  <= 75  is  B

                     75 <    points  <= 65  is  C

                     65 <    points  <= 50  is  D

                     50 <    points  <=   0  is  F

No extra-credit assignments are offered during or at the end of the semester.

 

The following topics are covered in the course (the list is neither inclusive or exclusive and may change from year to year or during the semester according to instructor’s view or to match student interests):

 

  1. Math introduction: Gauss and related integrals, the Stirling approximation, probability distributions (binary, Poisson, Gaussian).
  2. States of a model system: binary systems, multiplicity function, average values.
  3. Entropy and temperature: ensambles, thermal contact, spin systems, equilibrium, laws of thermodynamics.
  4. Boltzmann distribution and Helholtz free energy: partition function, reversible processes, minimizing the free energy, Maxwell's relations, first look at the ideal gas, mixing.
  5. Thermal radiation and Planck's distribution: black body, Debye's theory for solids, phonons.
  6. Chemical Potential and Gibbs' distribution: ideal gass revisited, Gibbs factor and sum.
  7. Ideal gass: detailed discussion, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions, heat capacity.
  8. Fermi and Bose gasses: detailed discussion, ground states, electron gass, Bose condensation, liquid Helium.
  9. Heat and work: energy and entropy transfer, heat engines, the Carnot cycle, heat and work for specific processes.
  10. Gibbs free energy and chemical reactions: pH and ionization, equilibrium revisited.
  11. Phase transformations (transitions): vapor-pressure equation, latent heat, enthalpy, Van der Waals equation, ferromagnetism, Landau theory.
  12. Binary mixtures: energy and entropy of mixing, alloying, phase equilibria.
  13. Cryogenics: gas liquefaction, evaporation cooling, isentropic demagnetization.
  14. Semiconductor statistics: energy bands, Fermi level, n and p type semiconductors, junctions, drift and diffusion.
  15. Kinetic theory: Maxwell's distribution, transport processes, diffusion and flow.