Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics

Vahid Karimpour

Sharif University of Technology

Description and Prerequisites

This is a three-semester course, so each part is the prerequisite of the next part. We start from the basics of Thermodynamics (the axioms of thermodynamics and their consequences) and ends at advanced and optional topics in Statistical mechanics (e.g. nureal networks). The lecture notes of this course will be revised and uploaded as we go along, but you can see the old lecture notes below. For the second and third parts, only knowledge of the basics of quantum mechanics is assumed.

Some Useful Texts

For further study you can consult any of the following texts.

lecture Notes

These lecture notes are not complete and are being developed as I teach the course from time to time.

  • Weekly Schedule

    • Thermodynamics
  • Postulates of Thermodynamics (Updated 15 Day 1403, typos corrected)
  • Thermodynamic Equilibrium (Updated 15 Day 1403, typos corrected)
  • Simple Thermodynamic Systems (Updated 15 Day. 1403, typos corrected)
  • Thermodynamics Processes(Updated 10th Aban 1403, extensive revision)
  • Principle of Minimum Energy and Legendre Transformations (updated 26 Farvardin 1402. )
  • Thermodynamic Potentials (updated 17th Day 1403)
  • Maxwell Relations(updated 18 Day 1403)
  • Thermodynamic Stability (updated 21st Azar 1403)
  • Phase Transitions(updated 14 Day 1403
  • Landau Ginzburg Theory (updated 13 Day 1403)
  • A short note on cricital phenomena (updated 13 Day 1403)

    • Statistical Mechanics
  • Basic Principle of Statistical Mechanics (microcanonical ensemble) Updated on 4th of Aban (1402)
  • Canonical Ensembles (Updated 22nd Azar 1402)
  • Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution (updated 20 Farvardin 1404)
  • Radiation and the Photon Gas (Updated 27th Farvardin 1404)
  • Non-ideal Gases(updated 4th Ordibehesht 1404)
  • Grand Canonical Ensemble(updated 3rd Ordibehesht 1404)
  • Quantum Statistical Mechanics (I) ŮŽUpdated 10th ORdibehesht 1404
  • Quantum Statistical Mechanics (II) (updated 8 Khordad 1404)
  • Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of Stars (Updated Khordad 1404)

    • Advanced Statistical Mechanics
  • A review of basic principles of Statistical Mechanics (Updated 30 Farvardin 1403)
  • Theory of Probability(Updated 9th Khordad 1403)
  • Stochastic Processes(Updated 9th Khordad 1403)
  • Fermion gas at arbitrary temperatures (updated 30 Farvardin 1403)
  • Boson gas at arbitrary temperaturs (updated 9th Ordibehesht 1403)
  • Interacting systems
  • Spin Systems-I (updated 15th Ordibehesht 1403)
  • Spin Systems-II (updated 8th Ordibehesht 1403)
  • Spin Glasses and Neural Networks (Updated 9th Khordad 1403)
  • Reaction-Diffusion Processes
  • Polymers
  • Renormalization group and critical phenomena
    • ...
    Class Schedule and TA's.

    The class holds on Saturdays and Mondays from 10:30 till 12:30 am in room 412. We start on Sunday 20th of Mehr 1404. The TA's are:

  • Weekly Schedule
    • ...
    Grading Systems

    Your final grade is determined according to the following table: Each exam naturally needs that you know the material up to that exam.

    Score from 20 Date
    Midterm Exam 6 2nd Azar 1404, 10:30 AM
    Homeworks 6 ---
    Final Exam 8 TBA