PHYS636: Statistical
Mechanics
Fall 2010
Instructor: Dr. Abdallah
Sayyed-Ahmad
Office: Science Building, Room 225
Classroom: Science Building, Room
219, 216
Class meeting time: Tuesday and
Thursday15:30-16:50
Office Hours: Saturday 9:00-10:00;
Tuesday 10:00-11:00; Thursday 10:00-11:00
Office Phone: 02-298-2149. Ext. 2507
Email: asayyeda@birzeit.edu
Text Book: RK Pathria, Statistical
Mechanics, 2nd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996
Course Description: Statistical
mechanics is an indispensible branch of physics that found application
in most physics areas such as cosmology, materials science and
biophysics. The goal of this course is present the theoretical
foundations of equilibrium statistical mechanics and shed light on some
of its applications.
Course Outline:
- The statistical basis of thermodynamics.
- Elements of ensemble theory.
- The canonical ensemble.
- The grand canonical ensemble.
- Formulation of quantum statistics.
- The theory of simple gases.
- Ideal Bose systems.
- Ideal Fermi systems.
- Statistical mechanics of interacting systems: the method of cluster expansion.
Grading:
Homework and
attendance
40%
Hour
exams 25%
Final
Exam
35%