Course syllabus

Course-PM

TIF305 / FYM305 TIF305 / FYM305 Statistical physics, study period II, Fall 2023 (7.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Physics

Contact details

• Examiner: Andreas Isacsson;  andreas.isacsson@chalmers.se 
• Lecturers: Andreas Isacsson and Janine Splettstoesser; janines@chalmers.se
• Teaching assistants (tutorials and home problems): Ludovico Tesser; tesser@chalmers.se 
• Student representatives:  
• Rickard Dahlgren Blumenau (blumenau@student.chalmers.se)
  Maja Rhodin (majarh@student.chalmers.se)
  Felix Uddén (felixu@student.chalmers.se) 
  Hang Zou; (hangzo@chalmers.se) 
  Johanna Örgård (johanna.orgard@gmail.com).

Course purpose

Statistical physics comprises several general concepts and very powerful tools to study the properties of many-degree-of-freedom systems as well as the influence of the external world on systems. The latter leads to stochastic fluctuations, i.e., different forms of noise. The methods of statistical physics have a wide range of applications such as in astrophysics, biophysics, materials science, quantum information, economy, and even social sciences. The purpose of this course is to introduce the students to some of the most commonly used concepts and tools of statistical mechanics and their application in different fields of physics.

- Brownian motion and phase space dynamics (single-particle vs ensemble description)
- Density matrix approach (quantum statistical physics)
- Phase transitions and interacting systems
- Entropy, irreversibility and information
- Master equation and detailed balance
- Linear response, susceptibilities, noise, fluctuation-dissipation theorem

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen and GUBAS.

Schedule

TimeEdit

Course literature

- James P. Sethna: Entropy, Order Parameters, and Complexity, (2nd edition) freely available to download from the link: https://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/StatMech/EntropyOrderParametersComplexity20.pdf

- Linda E. Reichl: A Modern Course in Statistical Physics, 4th Edition (2016).
- Lecture notes.

Orders for hard copies of the books have been sent to the Campus bookstore. 

Course design

The course will have two lectures per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Weekly problem sets will be published on the home page on the Monday of each week. The problem sets should be handed in on paper in the white mailbox located on the seventh floor in the Physics building. Make sure to staple together all papers. The problems in each problem set correspond to the material that the lectures cover during the same week. For instance, the problem set handed out on Monday October 30 will have problems that treats the material covered in the lectures on Tuesday October 31 and Thursday November 2. For successful completion of the home problems it is strongly suggested that the problems for each week is reviewed by the students before the lectures. 

Each week there will be tutorials/help desk (see TimeEdit). With the exception for the first week there will be one 45-minute session on Fridays 13:15-14:00 and one 45-minute session on Mondays at 9:00-9:45. During these sessions, students can discuss the problems with the TA (Ludovico Tesser). The tutorials will not include any example problems solved on the board. 

The deadlines for hand-ins are strict. Late hand-ins will only be graded if the student first contacts the examiner and provides information of the cause of the delay and after an agreement on a new deadline set by the examiner. The examiner has the possibility to deny extensions of deadlines.  

Examination form

Examination and grading will be based on the solutions to the hand-in problems and performance on a final oral examination in January (date to be determined).
The oral examination will focus on the work done in handed in problems by the students. 

The examination begins with the examiners selecting two specific problems from the problem sets that have been solved by the student. The student then has 30 minutes to prepare by reviewing their hand-in. The allowed aids during this preparation is a copy of the graded solution they handed in along with the corresponding problem formulations. No other aids (except pen and paper) are allowed.

After the 30 minutes of preparation, an oral exam will follow. The questions asked by the examiners will take as a starting point the physics in the two problems reviewed by the student. These questions will mainly focused on testing the knowledge and understanding of fundamental physical concepts related to the selected problems. This includes not only the specifics of the particular problems, but also how they fit into a more general setting. The students should, however, be prepared to explain the details of their solutions should the examiners require so. The student is allowed to have their solutions to the problems with them during the oral part as well along with notes written down during the preparation time.

Grading:
For the problem sets the following is required: 

Chalmers students:
Pass grade 3: At least 9/21 on each problem set to pass.
For grade 4: At least 9/21 on each problem set and an average of 13 points for all home problems (a total of 91 points).
For grade 5: At least 9/21 on each problem set and an average of 17 points for all home problems (a total of 119 points).

GU students:
Pass grade (G): At least 9/21 on each problem set to pass.
Pass with distinction: At least 9/21 on each problem set and an average of 15 points for all home problems (a total of 105 points).

Re-exams:
If a student fails on the oral exam, two additional times for oral exams will be offered. One in April 2023 and one in August 2023. The points acquired on the home problems remain for these three exam times. If the oral exam has not been passed by the re-exam in August 2023, the student must enroll in the course again and hand in new problem sets.