Physics 328  Statistical Physics

Lecture Schedule

Spring 2009

Last Update:  01 June 2009

All classes 10:30 – 11:20am  in PAB B109
Final Exam:  Monday, June 8, 8:25 – 10:25 am in PAB B109
Lecture notes will be posted on the class GoPost

Class
Date
Topic
Reading (Schroeder)
Week 1   1
M 3/30
Stat Mech vs. Thermo; Fundamental Assumption of Statistical Mechanics
notes; 2.1
2
W 4/1
Multiplicity, Statistical definition of Entropy and Temperature
2.1,2,3,4; 3.1
3
F  4/3
Laws of Thermodynamics (Stat vs Thermo); 2-state system example
3.2,3,4
Week 2 4
M  4/6
Boltzmann Factor; Partition Function
6.1
5
W  4/8
Averages and Fluctuations
6.2
6
F  4/10
Equipartition Theorem and its applications
6.3 + notes
Week 3 7
M  4/13
Maxwell distribution, local temp,State functions (U, H, F, G); 6.4
8
W  4/15
Partition function of composite system; Free energy and partition function
6.5
  9
F   4/17
Fluctuations and Free energy; Ideal Gas as particles in a box
6.6,7 + notes
Week 4 10
M  4/20
Ideal gas properties from partition function
6.7 + notes
11
W  4/22
Chemical potential
3.5, chapter 5
12
F   4/24
MIDTERM 1  (covers through class 10)

Week 5 13
M  4/27
Chemical potential with external field;Gibbs factor; grand partition function; notes,7.1
14
W  4/29
Perfect Gases; Fermi and Bose statistics
7.2
15
F   5/1
Ideal gas revisted, plus equilibrium dilute solutions
6.7 + notes
Week 6 16
M  5/4
Osmotic pressure and intro to chemical equilibrium
5.7
17
W  5/6
Chemical reactions and equilibrium constants
5.6
18
F  5/8
Degenerate Fermi gas; density of states; star collapse 7.3 A
Week 7 19
M  5/11
Metal heat capacity; Fermi paramagnetism
7.3 B
20
W  5/13
Dopant carriers in semiconductors
notes
21
F  5/15
semiconductor devices -- pn junctions, thermopower, laser
notes
Week 8 22
M  5/18
MIDTERM 2 (covers through class 19)

23
W  5/20
Planck distribution and black body radiation
7.4 A
24
F  5/22
applications of BBR - cosmic background; greenhouse effect
7.4 B
Week 9 25
M  5/25
MEMORIAL DAY

26
W  5/27
Debye and Einstein models for phonons in solids
3.3, 7.5
27
F  5/29
Bose Einstein condensation
7.6
Week 10 28
M  6/1
superfluidity; magnons
notes, 7.5
29
W  6/3
Ising model
8.2
30
F  6/5
other aspects of Ferromagnetism and/or Review

FINAL
M  6/8
8:30 AM  Comprehensive Final Exam (emphasis on what was not covered on MTs)