6 ECTS credits
175 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1015267BNR for all students in the 1st semester
at
a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
- Semester
- 1st semester
- Enrollment based on exam contract
- Impossible
- Grading method
- Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
- Can retake in second session
- Yes
- Enrollment Requirements
- Students who want to enroll for this course, must have passed for “Analytical Mechanics” and “Introduction to Quantum Physics”.
- Taught in
- English
- Faculty
- Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
- Department
- Physics
- Educational team
- Alberto Mariotti
(course titular)
- Activities and contact hours
-
26 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
- Course Content
The purpose of this course is to connect the microscopic description based on fundamental laws to macroscopic phenomena. The framework is the one of statistical mechanics, the correct language to deal with systems with a large number of degrees of freedom, like the O(10^23) molecules contained in your glass of water. We will describe macroscopic phenomena starting from first principles applied to the microscopic description of physical systems. Our investigations will deal with gases, solids and magnets. We will discover how quantum mechanics plays a crucial role in determining the macroscopic properties of these physical systems. We will explore the Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics, with concrete examples and applications. In the last part of the course we will discuss the physics of phase transition and introduce the concept of critical phenomena.
Program of the course:
Statistical Basis of Thermodynamics
Ensemble theory: Microcanonical, canonical and grandcanonical ensemble
Quantum Statistical mechanics; Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics
Blackbody radiation; Phonons and Debye model
Metals; White Dwarfs; magnetic systems
Interactions and Van der Waals equation
Phase transitions; Introduction to critical phenomena
- Course material
- Digital course material (Required) : Statistical Physics, David Tong, University of Cambridge Part II Mathematical Tripos, David Tong, http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/statphys/sp.pdf, 2011
Handbook (Recommended) : Statistical Physics, Franz Mandl, Franz Mandl, 2de, Wiley, 9780471915331, 1991
- Additional info
For more info please contact the course titularis
- Learning Outcomes
-
Algemene competenties
The student understand the statistical mechanics methods to connect the quantum mechanical description of microscopic physics to the macroscopic properties of physical systems.
The student can apply these methods to describe macroscopic physics phenomena.
- Grading
-
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 25% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
- homework exercises
with a relative weight of 25
which comprises 25% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
- written exam with oral part
with a relative weight of 75
which comprises 75% of the final mark.
- Additional info regarding evaluation
25% homework exercises
75% written exam with oral discussion (theory and exercises)
- Allowed unsatisfactory mark
- The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.
Academic context
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Physics and Astronomy: Default track (only offered in Dutch)