Phys 5460
Classical and Quantum Statistical Mechanics
Spring 2008
2:00 - 3:20 pm
Tuesday, Thursday in JWB 333
2:00 - 2:50 pm Friday
in JWB 333
Instructor: Dr.
Oleg Starykh
Office: JFB 306
Phone: 801-581-6424
Fax: 801-581-4801
E-mail:
starykh[at]physics.utah.edu
Course website:
http://www.physics.utah.edu/~starykh/phys5460/
Office Hours:
Monday, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Teaching Assistant: Suhas Gangadharaiah, Ph.D.
Office: JFB 319
Phone: 585-0655
E-mail:
suhas[at]physics.utah.edu
Office Hours:
Thursday, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Web-page Info: I make extensive use of the course website. Most important information concerning
this class - lecture schedule, homework
assignments and their solutions, exam info as well as (occasional) links to
additional reading material - is contained in the
Schedule of the Course.
Useful Info contains useful information and links relevant to the material
studied in the class. It is intended to serve as an occasional additional reading sourse.
Please check the website frequently (at least weekly)
for updated information regarding this course.
Course Description:
The statistical mechanics course begins with the quantum mechanics of identical particles, emphasizing the very large degeneracy of many-particle states. The thermodynamic concepts of entropy and temperature are then introduced and explored by means of extensive examples, and the laws of thermodynamics derived from the fundamental assumption that all available states are equally likely. Ensembles are introduced both theoretically and experimentally as appropriate reservoirs, and correlations and fluctuations examined. Then the ideal gases and spin systems are examined in detail, and their significance as useful approximations in many important situations emphasized. Finally, interactions are introduced through the study of phase transitions.
I will be using mostly required Kittel's book, and occasionally recommended Griffiths's one.
Some additional material will be posted as hand-written and/or copied lecture notes/original articles.
Course PRE-REQUISITES: PHYS 3760, 4420, 5450.
Required Text:
Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer,
Thermal Physics
(Second Edition),
ISBN-10 : 0716710889 , ISBN-13 : 978-0716710882;
Publisher: W. H. Freeman ; 2nd edition.
Strongly Recommended Text:
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, David J. Griffiths,
Prentice Hall, second edition ; ISBN-10: 0131118927; ISBN-13: 978-0131118928.
[This is required textbook in the previous PHYS 5450 course, which is a pre-requisite.]
Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 80-minutes long lectures.
These are followed by 50-minute long lecture/discussion session on Friday.
Discussion Session is organized to help you with the material covered in the preceeding
lectures (usually this is done by working one-two problems from the textbook in details)
and to answer your questions related to homework problems.
Weekly problem sets will be required and will count (40 %) toward the course grade. They are extremely important.
Generally, we'll have one homework per week. Homework schedule
can be found in the class Schedule which you should
check regularly for posted homework assignments, additional suggested reading materials,
as well as homework solutions which will be posted there every week.
Homeworks are due on Tuesdays, by 4 p.m.
Discussions of homework problems are encouraged. However, every homework must be written individually. Copying other person's solutions is prohibited.
Two midterm exams and a final will be administered. All exams are open book, open notes.
The (tentative) grading scheme is as follows:
Homework 40%
Midterms 30% (15% each)
Final Exam 30%
Please note: If you have a problem with how a homework or an exam is graded,
you must see me (not the grader) within one week from the date of the grade.
I will not consider questions on re-grading of any kind after one week time.
For students with disabilities:
The University of Utah Department of Physics seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this course, reasonable prior notice must be given to the instructor and to the Center for Disability Services,
162 Olpin Union Bldg, 581-5020 (V/TDD) to make arrangements for accommodations. I strongly encourage you to come and talk to me about your disability and necessary accommodations within the first two weeks of the semester.