Physics 219 UCSC
Welcome to Phys 219, 2014!
The course this year will proceed much like the last year’s course. Please consult the last year’s web page to get a feel for the course, already, if you like.
- One important difference is that you will not be required to purchase any textbook for this course. You must follow my lecture notes, closely. You are also welcome to utilize any book that you already have or any book that you like to buy from your preference. Here is a partial list of good references. The books by Fermi, Sethna, and Reif are at the level of advanced undergraduates, while all other books are at the graduate level. I believe that the texts by Kardar and Sethna are made available freely by authors themselves (google for them).
- Statistical Physics of Particles, Mehran Kardar
- Statistical Mechanics, K. Huang
- Statistical Mechanics, S. K. Ma
- Equilibrium Statistical Physics, Plischke and Bergersen
- Statistical Physics, Landau, Lifshiftz and Pitaevskii
- Statistical Mechanics, Feynman
- Thermodynamics, Fermi
- Statistical Mechanics, James P. Sethna
- Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics, F. Reif
Welcome to the Graduate Course in Statistical Physics!
In this course, you will learn statistical and thermal physics in-depth. The topics to be covered include fundamental topics of the classical and the quantum equilibrium statistical mechanics, the linear response theory and the renormalization group. You will also practice numerical methods. When properly followed, this course should enable you to gain solid understanding on how the random microscopic motions lead to sure macroscopic phenomena. You should also gain ability to perform basic and advanced statistical physics calculations.