|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
|
Week 1 |
9/10 |
Thermodynamics (1)
Temperature, 1st law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic processes |
|
Week 2 |
9/17 |
Thermodynamics (2)
Carnot theorem, Clausius inequality, entropy, 2nd Law, Legendre transformation, Free energy, Maxwell relations
Suggested Exercises: 1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.15 |
|
Week 3 |
9/24 |
Thermodynamics (3)
Euler’s theorem for homogeneous function
Gibbs Duhem relation
Clausius-Claperon equation
Maxwell’s equal area rule
Stability conditions |
|
Week 4 |
10/1 |
Thermodynamics (4)
Interface thermodynamics
Surface adsorption
Statistical mechanics (1)
Boltzmann’s equal probability assumption
Boltzmann’s entropy formula
Ideal gas entropy
Suggested Exercises: 1.14 2.4 2.9 2.10 2.15 2.19 2.25
|
|
Week 5 |
10/08 |
Exchange symmetry of the identical particles.
Fermion & Boson
Probability at constant T and the Boltzmann’s factor
Partition function and the Helmholtz free energy
Free energy of the deal gas
Equipartition theorem
Suggested Exercises: 3.6 3.7 3.9 3.14 3.15 |
|
Week 6 |
10/15 |
Grand canonical ensemble
Gibbs entropy
Lagrange multiplier method
Fowler's method to derive the Boltzmann factor
free energy of the ideal diatomic gas
Suggested exercises: 4.13 4.24 |
|
Week 7 |
10/22 |
ideal diatomic gas
symmetry factor of H2
chemical equilibrium & equilibrium constant
Einstein model of solid
1D lattice motion & frequencies
Suggested exercises: 4.3 4.4 4.15 4.16 4.24 |
|
Week 8 |
10/29 |
occupation numbers,
3D phonon gas Cv~T^3,
photon gas energy,
non-interacting fermions,
non-interacting bosons,
classical ideal gases (the classical limit)
Suggested exercises: 4.1 4.5 4.16 4.26 |
|
Week 9 |
11/05 |
midterm exam (closed book)
chapters 1-4 without the section 4.5 |
|
Week 10 |
11/12 |
MO of e- in metals
nearly free electron model in metals
energy bands
Heat capacity of e- in metal
gas with interaction
Suggested exercises: 4.10 4.18 4.21 |
|
Week 11 |
11/19 |
second virial coefficient
van der Waals equation
a and b coefficients |
|
Week 12 |
11/26 |
Debye Huckel theory for electrolyte solutions
Suggested Exercises: 15-21 15-35 of McQuarrie |
|
Week 13 |
12/03 |
Surface tension increment of the electrolyte solutions
Ising model
Free energy of the mean field Ising model
Graphic method for the mean field model
Critical temperature of the mean field Ising model
Mean field critical exponent beta of the Ising model
Suggested exercises: two problems in p.21 and p.22 of Selinger, 5.6 5.7 of Chandler |
|
Week 14 |
12/10 |
Models related to Ising model
1D Ising model solved by the transfer matrix method
Landau theory
Ginzburg Landau free energy
Variational calculus
Suggested exercises: Chandler 5.3 5.21 5.25 |
|
Week 15 |
12/17 |
Variational calculus
Functional derivative
Correlation length in Ginzburg Landau theory
Surface tension close to the critical point
Dynamics of phase transitions
Spinodal decomposition & nucleation and growth
Critical radius of nucleation
Suggested exercises: two problems in p.86 of Selinger |
|
Week 16 |
12/24 |
Langevin equation
random force statistics
fluctuation dissipation theorem
integral equation for the probability evolution
Fokker Plank equation for P(v,t)
Smoluchowski equation for P(x,t)
rotation diffusion of a polar molecule under the applied AC electric field
Suggested exercise: Derive the Smoluchowski equation from the Langevin equation (without the inertia term) |
|
Week 17 |
12/31 |
Debye dipole relaxation
Cole-Cole plot
Barrier crossing process
Classical nucleation theory
Suggested exercise: Barrat Hansen p.255 |
|
Week 18 |
1/07 |
Final exam (closed book)
Range: the course materials from 11 week-17 week |