Statistical Dynamics

In the first part of this book, classical nonequilibrium statistical mechanics is developed. Starting from the Hamiltonian dynamics of the molecules, it leads through the irreversible kinetic equations to the level of fluid mechanics. For simple systems, all the transport coefficients are determined by the molecular properties. The second part of the book treats complex systems that require a more extensive use of statistical concepts. Such problems, which are at the forefront of research, include: continuous time random walks, non-Markovian diffusion processes, percolation and related critical phenomena, transport on fractal structures, transport and deterministic chaos. These “strange transport processes” differ significantly from the usual (diffusive) transport. Their inclusion in a general treatise on statistical mechanics is a special feature of this invaluable book. Contents: States, Dynamical Functions, EvolutionGeneral Formalism of Statistical MechanicsReduced Distribution Functions and Correlation FunctionsThe Mean Field ApproximationThe Weak Coupling Kinetic EquationKinetic Equation for Dilute GasesKinetic Equation for PlasmasProperties of Kinetic EquationsHydrodynamics and TransportTransport and Autocorrelation FunctionsRandom Walks and TransportCritical PhenonenaTransport on Percolation StructuresChaos and Transport Readership: Students and researchers in statistical physics, plasma physics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics, classical mechanics, continuum mechanics, chaos/dynamical systems, and materials science. Keywords:Statistical Mechanics (Non-Equilibrium);Kinetic Theory (of Gases, of Plasmas);Transport Theory;Diffusion;Stochastic Processes;Percolation;Anomalous Transport;Hamiltonian Maps

The monograph text is based on lectures delivered by author during many years for students of Applied Iechanics Department of Bauman Ioscow State Technical University. The monograph includes also analitical results of scientific research obtained in collaboration with industry. Progress in developing new equipment has called for a better understand ing of the physical peculiarities pertaining to the action of designed structures in real conditions. This is necessary for increasing the accuracy of the analysis and making these structures more reliable. It has been found that classical determined perturbations are not principal and that determinism-based methods of classical mechanics prove insufficient for understanding and explaining physical effects that arise at the operation of instruments located on moving objects, the vibration of rocket engines, the motion of a vehicle, and the action of wind and seismic loads. Therefore the necessity arose for devising a new physical model to analyze these dynamic processes and, in particular, for creating a new mathematical apparatus that would allow us to take into account non-deterministic external excitations. The theory of random processes that had been developed well enough as applied to problems of radio engineering and automatic control, where the effect produced by random excitations appeared to be commensurable with that of deterministic excitations and where the ignoring of the random ex citations would bring about incorrect results, became such an apparatus.

How can one construct dynamical systems obeying the first and second laws of thermodynamics: mean energy is conserved and entropy increases with time? This book answers the question for classical probability (Part I) and quantum probability (Part II). A novel feature is the introduction of heat particles which supply thermal noise and represent the kinetic energy of the molecules. When applied to chemical reactions, the theory leads to the usual nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations as well as modifications of them. These can exhibit oscillations, or can converge to equilibrium.In this second edition, the text is simplified in parts and the bibliography has been expanded. The main difference is the addition of two new chapters; in the first, classical fluid dynamics is introduced. A lattice model is developed, which in the continuum limit gives us the Euler equations. The five Navier-Stokes equations are also presented, modified by a diffusion term in the continuity equation. The second addition is in the last chapter, which now includes estimation theory, both classical and quantum, using information geometry.

This short but complicated book is very demanding of any reader. The scope and style employed preserve the nature of its subject: the turbulence phe nomena in gas and liquid flows which are believed to occur at sufficiently high Reynolds numbers. Since at first glance the field of interest is chaotic, time-dependent and three-dimensional, spread over a wide range of scales, sta tistical treatment is convenient rather than a description of fine details which are not of importance in the first place. When coupled to the basic conserva tion laws of fluid flow, such treatment, however, leads to an unclosed system of equations: a consequence termed, in the scientific community, the closure problem. This is the central and still unresolved issue of turbulence which emphasizes its chief peculiarity: our inability to do reliable predictions even on the global flow behavior. The book attempts to cope with this difficult task by introducing promising mathematical tools which permit an insight into the basic mechanisms involved. The prime objective is to shed enough light, but not necessarily the entire truth, on the turbulence closure problem. For many applications it is sufficient to know the direction in which to go and what to do in order to arrive at a fast and practical solution at minimum cost. The book is not written for easy and attractive reading.

How can one construct dynamical systems obeying the first and second laws of thermodynamics: mean energy is conserved and entropy increases with time? This book answers the question for classical probability (Part I) and quantum probability (Part II). A novel feature is the introduction of heat particles which supply thermal noise and represent the kinetic energy of the molecules. When applied to chemical reactions, the theory leads to the usual nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations as well as modifications of them. These can exhibit oscillations, or can converge to equilibrium.In this second edition, the text is simplified in parts and the bibliography has been expanded. The main difference is the addition of two new chapters; in the first, classical fluid dynamics is introduced. A lattice model is developed, which in the continuum limit gives us the Euler equations. The five Navier-Stokes equations are also presented, modified by a diffusion term in the continuity equation. The second addition is in the last chapter, which now includes estimation theory, both classical and quantum, using information geometry.

A self-contained, mathematical introduction to the driving ideas in equilibrium statistical mechanics, studying important models in detail.

Statistical Mechanics discusses the fundamental concepts involved in understanding the physical properties of matter in bulk on the basis of the dynamical behavior of its microscopic constituents. The book emphasizes the equilibrium states of physical systems. The text first details the statistical basis of thermodynamics, and then proceeds to discussing the elements of ensemble theory. The next two chapters cover the canonical and grand canonical ensemble. Chapter 5 deals with the formulation of quantum statistics, while Chapter 6 talks about the theory of simple gases. Chapters 7 and 8 examine the ideal Bose and Fermi systems. In the next three chapters, the book covers the statistical mechanics of interacting systems, which includes the method of cluster expansions, pseudopotentials, and quantized fields. Chapter 12 discusses the theory of phase transitions, while Chapter 13 discusses fluctuations. The book will be of great use to researchers and practitioners from wide array of disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, and engineering.

This book covers a new explanation of the origin of Hamiltonian chaos and its quantitative characterization. The author focuses on two main areas: Riemannian formulation of Hamiltonian dynamics, providing an original viewpoint about the relationship between geodesic instability and curvature properties of the mechanical manifolds; and a topological theory of thermodynamic phase transitions, relating topology changes of microscopic configuration space with the generation of singularities of thermodynamic observables. The book contains numerous illustrations throughout and it will interest both mathematicians and physicists.