Spring 2008 – Syllabus / Course Information

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Instructor: Dr Luca Bombelli E-mail: <bombelli at olemiss.edu>; Phone: (662) 915-5319 Fax: (662) 915-5045; Website: www.olemiss.edu/~bombelli Office: Lewis 105; Office hours: By appointment. Class Location and Time: Lewis room 1, TuTh 11:00-12:15 Textbook: J Woods Halley, Statistical Mechanics, From First Principles to Macroscopic Phenomena (Springer 2007)

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Course Description: This is a one-semester introduction to the fundamentals of statistical mechanics for graduate students in physics and related disciplines. We begin with a quick introduction to general concepts and techniques of probability and statistics, and a review of thermodynamics. The main part of the course covers classical and quantum equilibrium statistical mechanics and its application to the main examples of interest in physics, such as ideal gases of bosons and fermions, photons, electrons in metals, and solids. Special topics to be covered will include phase transitions, with some numerical Monte Carlo calculations. The last part of the course is devoted to an introduction to non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and transport processes.

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Assignments: Homework assignments will be given, approximately one every week. Homework will be graded mostly for technical content, but also for the completeness and clarity of the explanation. Quizzes: Instead of hour-long midterm tests, there will be a few 20-minute short tests or quizzes, include conceptual questions and short exercises, and a (cumulative) final exam, including conceptual questions and problems. Grading Scale: (Tentative) A, 87%-100%; B, 75%-86%, C, 60%-74%, D, 40%-59%, F, less than 40%.

Evaluation Grading Scheme Homework ...... 40 % Quizzes ....... 30 % Final Exam .... 30 % (may change if a graded computational component is added to the course)