Physics 632

Statistical Mechanics

Spring 2011

Further Reading


You may well find the following references helpful (at some point).
The Science Library should have many of them; if you cannot find a book, please let me know --- I may be able to lend you my copy.

Thermodynamics

A. B. Pippard, The Elements of Classical Thermodynamics.

E. Fermi, Thermodynamics.

R. Kubo, Thermodynamics.

Statistical Mechanics

Gregory H. Wannier, Statistical Physics (Dover, 1966).

Kerson Huang, Statistical Mechanics (Wiley, 1987).

E.M. Lifshitz and L.P. Pitaevskii, Statistical Physics, 3rd Edition, Part 1, Landau and Lifshitz Course of Theoretical Physics, Volume 5 , (Pergamon Press, 1980).

Claude Garrod, Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics (Oxford, 1995).
Particularly useful for its large number of worked examples!

J. D. Walecka, Fundamentals of Statistical Mechanics (Manuscripts and Notes of Felix Bloch).
A careful articulation of the conceptual and mathematical basis of statistical mechanics; limited in the applications it treats.

Donald A. McQuarrie, Statistical Mechanics.
A good, comprehensive textbook at a slightly lower level than that of Huang or Bloch/Walecka. Many applications, particularly of interest to chemists, are treated.

L. E. Reichl, A Modern Course in Statistical Physics.
A bit more sophisticated than either Huang or Bloch/Walecka; impressive in the breadth of the applications it treats.

M. Toda, R. Kubo, and N. Saito, Statistical Physics I, Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics.

Richard C. Tolman, The Principles of Statistical Mechanics.
A classic text.

A. I. Khinchin, Mathematical Foundations of Statistical Mechanics.
Rather formal.

Useful Advanced Monographs

Critical Phenomena

H. E. Stanley, Introduction to Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena.

C. Domb and M. S. Green, Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena, v. 6.

S.-K. Ma, Modern Theory of Critical Phenomena.

Nonequilibrium Methods

R. Balescu, Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics.

R. Kubo, M. Toda, and N. Hashitsume, Statistical Physics II, Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics.

L. E. Reichl, A Modern Course in Statistical Physics.

Donald A. McQuarrie, Statistical Mechanics.

Books on Critical Phenomena and Statistical Field Theory

A. A. Abrikosov, L. P. Gorkov, and I. E. Dzyaloshinski, Methods of Quantum Field Theory in Statistical Physics.
A classic available as a Dover book.

D. J. Amit, Field Theory, the Renormalization Group, and Critical Phenomena.

C. Itzykson and J.-M. Drouffe, Statistical field theory.

S.-K. Ma, Modern Theory of Critical Phenomena.

G. Parisi, Statistical Field Theory.

E. Stanley, Introduction to Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena.

Last updated: January 12, 2011.