Statistical Thermodynamics: Fundamentals and Applications

Building on the Maxwell-Boltzmann method of step-by-step development of the subject, this book makes few presumptions concerning students' previous exposure to statistics, quantum mechanics, or spectroscopy. The book begins with the fundamentals 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. Modern applications, such as laser-based diagnostics, are also discussed.