{"product_id":"9781860945649","title":"Topics in Statistical Mechanics","description":"Building on the material learned by students in their first few years of study, this book presents an advanced level course on statistical and thermal physics. It begins with a review of the formal structure of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics considered from a unified viewpoint. After a brief revision of non-interacting systems, emphasis is laid on interacting systems. First, weakly interacting systems are considered, where the interest is in seeing how such interactions cause small deviations from the non-interacting case. Second, systems are examined where interactions lead to drastic changes, namely phase transitions. A number of specific examples are given, and these are unified within the Landau theory of phase transitions. The final chapter of the book looks at non-equilibrium systems and the way these evolve towards equilibrium. Here, fluctuations play a vital role, as is formalized in the Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem.","brand":"Imperial College Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47043373072624,"sku":"9781860945649","price":77.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781860945649_p0.jpg?v=1763600167","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781860945649","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}