PHY 4523
Statistical Physics
in vivo schedule PAST is definitive and FUTURE is tentative
Week 01: Jan. 6 Introduction of Course, Chapter 1. Ch. 1 Problems: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Jan. 8 Finish Chapter 1, and start Chapter 2.
Ch. 2 Problems: 4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 19.
Begin Kinetic Theory Discussion.
Jan. 10 Finish discussion on Kinetic Theory and Equipartition of Energy.
Week 02: Jan. 13 Start Ch. 3, cover material to the end of Section 3.6. This material fair for Quiz 2.
Quiz 1 on Chapter 1 and 2 material and related topics of macroscopic thermodynamics.
Jan. 15 Return Q1, and review it.
Continue with Ch. 3. Circulate first statmech formula sheet. Percolation handout.
Jan. 17 Quiz 2 on material through the end of Jan. 13, Ch. 3, Sec. 3.1 to 3.6, inclusive.
Finish Ch. 3 Describe Homework 1.
Week 03: Jan. 20 No Class, Holiday
Jan. 22 Return Q2. Start Ch. 4. Problems for Chapter 4: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14.
Jan. 24 Homework 1 due. Chapter 4, continued. Do 2D Ising model.
Week 04: Jan. 27 Return HW1. Discuss results. Ch. 4, continued, 2D rubber band model.
Rubber band experiment/demo. Finish Sec. 4.4, material up to this point fair for Quiz 3.
Jan. 29 Ch. 4, continued.
Jan. 31 Quiz 3, on material up to, and including, Sec. 4.4.
Week 05: Feb. 3 Finish Chapter 4.
Start Chapter 5. Problems Ch. 5: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 22, 23, 26.
Feb. 5 Continue Ch. 5. Distribute Extra Problem sheet. Start 2- level systems.
Feb. 7 Quiz 4. Continue with 2 level systems.
Week 6: Feb. 10 Continue Ch. 5. Extension to macroscopic thermodynamics.
Material to the end of the lecture is fair for MTE 1.
Feb. 12 Review for MTE 1.
Feb. 14 MTE 1. Material from Ch. 1 to Ch. 5, section 5.7, inclusive.
Week 7: Feb. 17 Review MTE 1. Tour of Low Temp Magnetism Lab.
Feb. 19 Ch. 5 continues. Extra Problem #2 distributed and described.
Review the remaining sections of Ch. 5.
Feb. 21 Quiz 5. 1D particle in a box. Minimizing thermodynamic potentials.
Week 8: Feb. 24 Return/review Quiz 5. Problem 5.17 and Appendix F.
Feb. 26 Finish extra problems, harmonic oscillator trick.
Do Ch. 6 and start Ch. 7.
Chapter 6 Problems: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9.
Chapter 7 Problems: 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 16.
Distribute MTE 2 Formula Sheet.
MTE 2 covers Ch. 5,6,7.
Feb. 28 Homework 2 due. Tidy the “trick” on the Z for the harmonic oscillator.
Continue k-space Density of States discussion.
Issues for Review and Formula Sheet?
Week 9: Mar. 3 Review for MTE 2.
Mar. 5 MTE 2 over Ch. 5,6,7.
Mar. 7 Review MTE 2. Visit Microkelvin Lab.
Week 10: No Classes, Spring Break
Week 11: Mar. 17 Start Chapter 8. Problems: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12
Mar. 19 Ch. 8 continues.
Mar. 21 Quiz 6, over material covered for MTE 2.
Continue Ch. 8 with discussion of specific heats.
Week 12: Mar. 24 Review Quiz 6. Effusion. Finish Ch. 8, start Ch. 9, Problems 1, 3, 4, 5, 9.
Mar. 26 Continue discussion of chemical potential.
Mar. 28 Quiz 7 on material in Ch. 8.
Week 13: Mar. 31 Review Quiz 7. Start Chapter 10.
Parallel discussion to contrast Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein Statistics.
Chapter 10 Problems: 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15.
Apr. 2 Start discussion of Fermi gas.
Apr. 4 Quiz 8. Professor Dufty, guest lecture.
Week 14: Apr. 7 Review Quiz 8. Finish discussion on Fermi gas.
Review Science Paper introducing "Spintronics".
Motivate BEC.
Apr. 9 BEC movie games.
Apr. 11 Quiz 9 and Course Evaluations.
Week 15: Apr. 14 Highlights on Chapter 11 and 12. Information Theory?
Apr. 16 Start Review for MTE 3 and Final Exam. Work on magnons in 2D?
Apr. 18 Prepare for MTE 3.
Week 16: Apr. 21 MTE 3.
Apr. 23 Review MTE 3. Review course.
Apr. 25 No Class, Reading Day
Final Exam: Wednesday, 30 April, 17:30-19:30 hrs (Final Exam Group
30E)
Special Notes about the Syllabus: Please note that the dates for all quizzes, examinations and
chapter starts are
TENTATIVE. The schedule will be finalized
during the course and will be announced in
class.