Statistical Thermodynamics

This 2006 textbook discusses the fundamentals and applications of statistical thermodynamics for beginning graduate students in the physical and engineering sciences. Building on the prototypical Maxwell–Boltzmann method and maintaining a step-by-step development of the subject, this book assumes the reader has no previous exposure to statistics, quantum mechanics or spectroscopy. The book begins with the essentials of statistical thermodynamics, pauses to recover needed knowledge from quantum mechanics and spectroscopy, and then moves on to applications involving ideal gases, the solid state and radiation. A full introduction to kinetic theory is provided, including its applications to transport phenomena and chemical kinetics. A highlight of the textbook is its discussion of modern applications, such as laser-based diagnostics. The book concludes with a thorough presentation of the ensemble method, featuring its use for real gases. Numerous examples and prompted homework problems enrich the text.

Author Biography

Normand M. Laurendeau is the Ralph and Bettye Bailey Professor of Combustion at Purdue University. He teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of thermodynamics, combustion and engineering ethics. He conducts research in the combustion sciences, with particular emphasis on laser diagnostics, pollutant formation and flame structure. Dr. Laurendeau is well known for his pioneering research on the development and application of both nanosecond and picosecond laser-induced fluorescence strategies to quantitative species concentration measurements in laminar and turbulent flames. He has authored or co-authored over 150 publications in the archival scientific and engineering literature, and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the journal Combustion Science and Technology.