Statistical Physics for Electrical Engineering

Description

The main body of this book is devoted to statistical physics, whereas much less emphasis is given to thermodynamics. In particular, the idea is to present the most important outcomes of thermodynamics – most notably, the laws of thermodynamics – as conclusions from derivations in statistical physics. Special emphasis is on subjects that are vital to engineering education. These include, first of all, quantum statistics, like the Fermi-Dirac distribution, as well as diffusion processes, both of which are fundamental to a sound understanding of semiconductor devices. Another important issue for electrical engineering students is understanding of the mechanisms of noise generation and stochastic dynamics in physical systems, most notably in electric circuitry. Accordingly, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical mechanics, which is the theoretical basis for understanding thermal noise processes in systems, is presented from a signals-and-systems point of view, in a way that is readily accessible for engineering students and in relation with other courses in the electrical engineering curriculum, like courses on random processes. Read more... Abstract: The main body of this book is devoted to statistical physics, whereas much less emphasis is given to thermodynamics. In particular, the idea is to present the most important outcomes of thermodynamics – most notably, the laws of thermodynamics – as conclusions from derivations in statistical physics. Special emphasis is on subjects that are vital to engineering education. These include, first of all, quantum statistics, like the Fermi-Dirac distribution, as well as diffusion processes, both of which are fundamental to a sound understanding of semiconductor devices. Another important issue for electrical engineering students is understanding of the mechanisms of noise generation and stochastic dynamics in physical systems, most notably in electric circuitry. Accordingly, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical mechanics, which is the theoretical basis for understanding thermal noise processes in systems, is presented from a signals-and-systems point of view, in a way that is readily accessible for engineering students and in relation with other courses in the electrical engineering curriculum, like courses on random processes Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Kinetic Theory and the Maxwell Distribution (Neri Merhav)....Pages 1-12 Elementary Statistical Physics (Neri Merhav)....Pages 13-45 Quantum Statistics – The Fermi–Dirac Distribution (Neri Merhav)....Pages 47-63 Quantum Statistics – The Bose–Einstein Distribution (Neri Merhav)....Pages 65-73 Interacting Particle Systems and Phase Transitions (Neri Merhav)....Pages 75-93 Vibrations in a Solid – Phonons and Heat Capacity\(^*\) (Neri Merhav)....Pages 95-102 Fluctuations, Stochastic Dynamics and Noise (Neri Merhav)....Pages 103-129 A Brief Touch on Information Theory\(^*\) (Neri Merhav)....Pages 131-137