Physics, rather than mathematics, is the focus in this classic graduate lecture note volume on statistical mechanics and the physics of condensed matter.

Written by distinguished physics educator David Goodstein, this fresh introduction to thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and the study of matter is ideal for undergraduate courses. The textbook looks at the behavior of thermodynamic variables and examines partial derivatives - the essential language of thermodynamics. It also explores states of matter and the phase transitions between them, the ideal gas equation, and the behavior of the atmosphere. The origin and meaning of the laws of thermodynamics are then discussed, together with Carnot engines and refrigerators, and the notion of reversibility. Later chapters cover the partition function, the density of states, and energy functions, as well as more advanced topics such as the interactions between particles and equations for the states of gases of varying densities. Favoring intuitive and qualitative descriptions over exhaustive mathematical derivations, the textbook uses numerous problems and worked examples to help readers get to grips with the subject.

"Knowledge of the renormalization group and field theory is a key part of physics, and is essential in condensed matter and particle physics. Written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, this textbook provides a concise introduction to this subject. The textbook deals directly with the loop-expansion of the free-energy, also known as the background field method. This is a powerful method, especially when dealing with symmetries, and statistical mechanics. In focussing on free-energy, the author avoids long developments on field theory techniques. The necessity of renormalization then follows"--

In the 1950s, the distinguished theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli delivered a landmark series of lectures at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. His comprehensive coverage of the fundamentals of classical and modern physics was painstakingly recorded not only by his students but also by a number of collaborators whose carefully edited transcriptions resulted in a remarkable six-volume work. This volume, the fourth in the series, represents a concise course on statistical mechanics, centering on the historic development of the basic ideas and on the logical structure of the theory. Major chapter headings include General Statistical Mechanics, Brownian Motion, and Quantum Statistics. Originally published in 1973, the text remains an important resource thanks to Pauli's manner of presentation. As Victor F. Weisskopf notes in the Foreword to the series, Pauli's style is "commensurate to the greatness of its subject in its clarity and impact. . . . Pauli's lectures show how physical ideas can be presented clearly and in good mathematical form, without being hidden in formalistic expertise." Alone or as part of the complete set, this volume represents a solid introduction to statistical mechanics that will be invaluable to individuals, as well as to libraries and other institutions.

An accessible and interdisciplinary introduction to the applications of statistical mechanics across the sciences. The book contains a discussion of the methods of statistical physics and includes mathematical explanations alongside guidance to enable the reader to translate theory into practice.

Ilya Prigogine won the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics. This groundbreaking 1962 monograph, written for researchers and graduate students in this field, was his first book-length contribution to this subject. Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics and chemistry, the treatment begins with examinations of the Liouville equation, anharmonic solids, and Brownian motion. Subsequent chapters explore weakly coupled gases, scattering theory and short-range forces, distribution functions and their diagrammatic representation, the time dependence of diagrams, the approach to equilibrium in ionized gases, and statistical hydrodynamics. Additional topics include general kinetic equations, general H-theorem, quantum mechanics, and irreversibility and invariants of motion. Appendices, a bibliography, list of symbols, and an index conclude the text. Dover (2017) republication of the edition originally published by Interscience Publishers, New York, 1962. www.doverpublications.com