This is a presentation of the main ideas and methods of modern nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. It is the perfect introduction for anyone in chemistry or physics who needs an update or background in this time-dependent field. Topics covered include fluctuation-dissipation theorem; linear response theory; time correlation functions, and projection operators. Theoretical models are illustrated by real-world examples and numerous applications such as chemical reaction rates and spectral line shapes are covered. The mathematical treatments are detailed and easily understandable and the appendices include useful mathematical methods like the Laplace transforms, Gaussian random variables and phenomenological transport equations.
The structure of the theory ofthermodynamics has changed enormously since its inception in the middle of the nineteenth century. Shortly after Thomson and Clausius enunciated their versions of the Second Law, Clausius, Maxwell, and Boltzmann began actively pursuing the molecular basis of thermo dynamics, work that culminated in the Boltzmann equation and the theory of transport processes in dilute gases. Much later, Onsager undertook the elucidation of the symmetry oftransport coefficients and, thereby, established himself as the father of the theory of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Com bining the statistical ideas of Gibbs and Langevin with the phenomenological transport equations, Onsager and others went on to develop a consistent statistical theory of irreversible processes. The power of that theory is in its ability to relate measurable quantities, such as transport coefficients and thermodynamic derivatives, to the results of experimental measurements. As powerful as that theory is, it is linear and limited in validity to a neighborhood of equilibrium. In recent years it has been possible to extend the statistical theory of nonequilibrium processes to include nonlinear effects. The modern theory, as expounded in this book, is applicable to a wide variety of systems both close to and far from equilibrium. The theory is based on the notion of elementary molecular processes, which manifest themselves as random changes in the extensive variables characterizing a system. The theory has a hierarchical character and, thus, can be applied at various levels of molecular detail.
"There is a symbiotic relationship between theoretical nonequilibrium statistical mechanics on the one hand and the theory and practice of computer simulation on the other. Sometimes, the initiative for progress has been with the pragmatic requirements of computer simulation and at other times, the initiative has been with the fundamental theory of nonequilibrium processes. This book summarises progress in this field up to 1990"--Publisher's description.
This book encompasses our current understanding of the ensemble approach to many-body physics, phase transitions and other thermal phenomena, as well as the quantum foundations of linear response theory, kinetic equations and stochastic processes. It is destined to be a standard text for graduate students, but it will also serve the specialist-researcher in this fascinating field; some more elementary topics have been included in order to make the book self-contained.The historical methods of J Willard Gibbs and Ludwig Boltzmann, applied to the quantum description rather than phase space, are featured. The tools for computations in the microcanonical, canonical and grand-canonical ensembles are carefully developed and then applied to a variety of classical and standard quantum situations. After the language of second quantization has been introduced, strongly interacting systems, such as quantum liquids, superfluids and superconductivity, are treated in detail. For the connoisseur, there is a section on diagrammatic methods and applications.In the second part dealing with non-equilibrium processes, the emphasis is on the quantum foundations of Markovian behaviour and irreversibility via the Pauli-Van Hove master equation. Justifiable linear response expressions and the quantum-Boltzmann approach are discussed and applied to various condensed matter problems. From this basis the Onsager-Casimir relations are derived, together with the mesoscopic master equation, the Langevin equation and the Fokker-Planck truncation procedure. Brownian motion and modern stochastic problems such as fluctuations in optical signals and radiation fields briefly make the round.
Groundbreaking monograph by Nobel Prize winner for researchers and graduate students covers Liouville equation, anharmonic solids, Brownian motion, weakly coupled gases, scattering theory and short-range forces, general kinetic equations, more. 1962 edition.
This book deals with the basic principles and techniques of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. The importance of this subject is growing rapidly in view of the advances being made, both experimentally and theoretically, in statistical physics, chemical physics, biological physics, complex systems and several other areas. The presentation of topics is quite self-contained, and the choice of topics enables the student to form a coherent picture of the subject. The approach is unique in that classical mechanical formulation takes center stage. The book is of particular interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in engineering departments.
