Intermediate Statistical Mechanics: A Handbook

Contents: Preface.1. Statistical mechanics: the basics. 2. The microcanonical ensemble. 3. Other ensembles. 4. Non-interacting systems. 5. Interacting classical systems. 6. Quantum statistics. 7. Fermi distribution: examples. 8. Electrons in a magnetic field. 9. Bose-Einstein distribution: examples. 10. Superconductivity. 11. Phase transitions. 12. Landau theory and related models. 13. The renormalization group. 14. Disordered systems.15. Transport equation – I. 16. Transport equation – II. 17. Transport equation – III. 18. Transport equation – IV. 19. Metastable states. 20. Langevin equations. 21. Fokker-Planck equations. 22. Fluctuation dissipation theorem. References. Index.

In this new textbook, Bhattacharjee and Banerjee discuss a number of unusual applications in addition to the usual topics covered in a course on Statistical Physics. Examples are the statistical mechanics of powders, Peierls instability, graphene, Bose-Einstein condensates in a trap, Casimir effect and the quantum Hall effect. Superfluidity and super-conductivity (including the physics of high-temperature superconductors) have also been discussed extensively. 

The emphasis on the treatment of these topics is pedagogic. The authors bring their experience of decades of classroom instruction to introduce the basic tenets of statistical mechanics, with extensive and thorough discussion of the postulates, ensembles, and the relevant statistics. A number of standard examples illustrate the microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensembles, as well as the Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics.

A special feature of this text is the detailed presentation of the theory of second-order phase transitions and the renormalization group, emphasizing the role of disorder. Non-equilibrium statistical physics is introduced via the Boltzmann transport equation. Additional topics covered in this part of the text include metastability, glassy systems, the Langevin equation, Brownian motion, and the Fokker-Planck equation.

Graduate students will find the presentation readily accessible, since the topics have been treated with great deal of care and attention to detail.