Syllabus
- Equilibrium fluctuation theory (probabilistic description, fluctuations in Gibbs canonical ensembles, Einstein’s quasi-thermodynamical fluctuation theory)
- Thermal noises (Johnson-Nyquist, Langevin), stochastic processes (Gaussian, stationary, correlations, noise spectra), stochastic differential equations, fluctuation-dissipation theorem (Einstein, Callen-Welton)
- Phenomenological linear non-equilibrium thermodynamics (transport coefficients, Onsager reciprocity relations, generalized susceptibilities), response theory for a two-level atom
- Introduction to chemical thermodynamics (partial molar quantities, standard enthalpies/entropies, chemical potential), thermodynamic equilibrium of chemical reactions (phase diagrams), equilibrium constant of reaction
- Rate constants of chemical reaction (transition-state theory, Kramers theory), rate of diffusion-limited reactions (Smoluchowsky model), reactions in gas phase
- Chemical kinetics
- Thermodynamics of multi-component and multi-phase systems
- Colligative properties
- Thermodynamics of interfaces, nucleation.
Annotation
The lecture course comprises advanced topics of statistical thermodynamics relevant for experimental studies of macromolecular systems.