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Course Catalog 01/02


Mechanical Engineering

MTF072 Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics 6.0 ECTS credits

TIMEPERIOD:
Q II

LANGUAGE:English/Swedish

EXAMINER
Hans Weber Univ lekt


PREREQUISITES
Quantum Physics MTF067, Imperative Programming SMD038.


COURSE AIM
To present the basical assumptions of Statistical Mechanics, to get an understanding of the
micro-canonical, canonical and grand-canonical ensembles, the basics of Bose-Einstein and
Fermi-Dirac Statistics, and to perform some simple Monte-Carlo calculations.



CONTENTS
States of a system, the ergodic assumption, partition function, entropy, micro-canonical, canonical and grand-canonical ensembles, temperature, reversibility kinetic gas theory, Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, Gibbs distribution, Fermi and Bose statistics, Mean field theory, critical exponents, scaling theory,diffusion, Brownian motion.

Monte-Carlo simulations: Programming assignement.

TEACHING
Teaching will be performed as ordinary lessons and solution of problems and also some larger computer homework assignments will be handed out.


EXAMINATION
Written exam at the end of the course, mandatory oral presentation of one homework assignment, the other homework assignments are to be presented as essays.

COURSE GRADE SCALE: 3, 4, 5

ITEMS/CREDITS

Seminars 1.50ECTS
Written exam 4.50ECTS

COURSE LITERATURE
Kittel Charles & Kroemer Herbert: Thermal Physics, Freeman 1980.

Further information: International Office
Valid for the academic year 01/02.

Web Editor: Karin.Lindholm@dc.luth.se

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LULEÅ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
University Campus, Porsön, 971 87 Luleå. Tel. +46 (0) 920-91 000, fax +46 (0) 920-91 399
Last edited 2001-12-17