Unit V


 
Unit 5 : Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Laws of thermodynamics and their consequences – Thermodynamic potentials and
Maxwell’s relations – Chemical potential and phase equilibria – Phase space, microstates
and macrostates - Partition function – Free energy and its connection with thermodynamic
quantities – Classical and quantum statistics - Degenerate electron gas - Black body
radiation and Planck’s distribution law – Bose – Einstein condensation – Einstein and Debye
models for lattice specific heat.