PHYS 614; Statistical Mechanics; Spring 2022

This page and its links contain all of the general information you need for the course, and they will be updated frequently. Please check this page regularly, and make sure you hit your browser's `Reload' button so you get the latest version.

Before you read on, please read the COVID Containment Plan for Classes in this Academic Council document

Overview, and Expected Learning Outcome

PHYS 614 covers basic concepts and simple applications of Statistical Mechanics. Successful completion will result in knowledge of the principles behind a statistical description of large systems, the properties of ideal quantum gases, and basic concepts and applications of kinetic theory.

Time and Location:

TH 10:00 - 11:50 in 318 WIL
Speaking of time, here is the official time from NIST

Lecture Notes :

The table of contents for 614 may be updated as the course proceeds. The links are to a scanned version of my handwritten notes that you may find hard to read. I will write everything I say on the board, so if you take good notes then by the end of the term you'll have your own set of my lecture notes. A typeset version of parts of a (much) earlier version of the course is here .

Please keep in mind that anybody else's lecture notes, including the lecturer's, are next to useless unless you have your own set taken by YOU. This goes for textbooks as well. My notes are only meant as a record of my blackboard art to check against.

Instructor:

Dietrich Belitz
email:
phone: upon request
office: 459 Willamette
office hours:
- real: I'll try to keep an open office policy. Catch me after class if possible; otherwise, just stop by my office. If I'm really busy I'll kick you out, but usually I'll be able to accommodate you if I'm in. If your schedule and mine turn out to never overlap, send email and make an appointment.
- virtual: Anytime. My e-mail response time is rarely longer than a few hours, and usually it is much shorter. If desirable, we can set up a zoom session.

TA:

Haidar Esseili
office: 463 WIL
email: hesseili@you-know-where
office hours: Tu 3-4

Textbooks and other helpful material:

Recommended texts:
Here are books that I have used in preparing the lecture notes. They are NOT required, and my lectures are designed to be self-contained. Some are excellent reference texts, but make sure you really like a book before you buy it. If you find some other books more useful for background reading or reference, by all means use those.
- L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz , Statistical Physics, Part 1
- F. Bloch / D. Walecka , Fundamentals of Statistical Mechanics
- C. Cercignani , The Boltzmann Equation and Its Applications
- D. Chandler , Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics
- R.V. Hogg and A.T. Craig , Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
- K. Huang , Statistical Mechanics
- R. Kubo , Statistical Mechanics
- R.L. Liboff , Kinetic Theory
- S.-K. Ma , Statistical Mechanics
- R.K. Pathria , Statistical Mechanics
- F. Reif , Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics
- C.J. Thompson Classical Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics
- C.J. Thompson Mathematical Statistical Mechanics
- G. Wannier , Statistical Physics

Exams and Grading

can be found here

Please read the emailed instructions before clicking on this link.

Homework will count for 20% of the grade. Your grade will thus be mostly based on the exams, but it will be next to impossible to do well on the exams unless you have spent a lot of time and effort on the homework problems. If your performance on the final is better than on the midterm, the midterm will not count and the final will count 80%. If your performance on the midterm is better than on the final, the midterm will count for 30% of the grade and the final for 50%.

Homework:

Don't be fooled by the 20% weight given to the homework. The homework problems are an integral part of the course, and spending substantial time on the homework will be essential for understanding the material discussed in class. One can learn very little physics by just reading a book, or listening to lectures, so make sure you allow adequate time for doing the homework problems. Also, doing well on the exam will be next to impossible without a thorough understanding of the homework problems.

Note: Of course I know that the solutions to most of my homework problems can be found on the web. Find and look at them at your own peril.

Collaborating on the homework is okay, and even encouraged. You should make sure, however, that you really understand the material yourself rather than just tagging along.

Problem Sets

Dietrich Belitz
Department of Physics
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
USA