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2 - Statistical Mechanics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2022

Pierre Gaspard
Affiliation:
Université Libre de Bruxelles
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Summary

At the microscale, the motion of atoms and molecules composing matter is governed by Hamiltonian dynamics. For classical systems, this motion is described as trajectories in the phase space of the positions and momenta of the particles. Different equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical ensembles can be introduced, each associated with some probability distribution, which is a solution of Liouville’s equation. The BBGKY hierarchy of equations is obtained for the multiparticle distribution functions. The presentation includes the properties of ergodicity and dynamical mixing, the Pollicott–Ruelle resonances, microreversibility, and the nonequilibrium breaking of time-reversal symmetry at the statistical level of description. The concept of entropy is introduced by coarse graining. Linear response theory is developed within the classical framework, leading to the Onsager–Casimir reciprocal relations and the fluctuation–dissipation theorem. The projection-operator methods are summarized.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Pierre Gaspard, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Book: The Statistical Mechanics of Irreversible Phenomena
  • Online publication: 14 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108563055.003
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  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Pierre Gaspard, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Book: The Statistical Mechanics of Irreversible Phenomena
  • Online publication: 14 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108563055.003
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Pierre Gaspard, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Book: The Statistical Mechanics of Irreversible Phenomena
  • Online publication: 14 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108563055.003
Available formats
×