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Quantum and statistical physics
| PHY432 Quantum and statistical physics |
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 Manuel JOFFRE |  Marc MEZARD |  Jean-Philippe BOUCHAUD |
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In the second semester of the second year, the physics course (18 blocks) consists of the second part of quantum mechanics (7 blocks), natural follow-up of the first year course, and of statistical physics (11 blocks). Quantum mechanics and statistical are the two essential building blocks of modern physics. Quantum mechanics is the fundamental theory of microscopic processes. It has allowed for the determination of the structure of nuclei, atoms, molecules, for the elucidation of the nature of light, and it constitutes an indispensable tool for the understanding of modern physics, from elementary particles to stars and the Big Bang. Its economical impact is equally important : most of high tech products (electronics, lasers and optronics, nanotechnologies, telecommunications) are directly issued from quantum concepts. The quantum physics course, taught by Manuel Joffre, is the direct continuation of the series of lessons devoted to Introductory Quantum Mechanics, delivered during the first year of studies (PHY311). The course starts with the basic principles of the theory and their illustrations with simple systems. The course then addresses problems involving several degrees of freedom, which leads naturally to the quantization of angular momentum and the notion of spin. These concepts are illustrated by examples in atomic physics and magnetic resonance. Finally, the investigation of systems of identical particles and of the Pauli principle provides a natural step towards statistical physics. Statistical physics studies the collective behaviour of systems with many particles. Its fundamental object is to bridge the gap between macroscopic behaviour of materials and the microscopic laws which govern the evolution of their constituants. All the solids consist of electrons and ions, quantum particles that interact through Coulomb's law ; but some of them are insulators, others are conductors or semi-conductors, and under some conditions they exhibit superconducting phases. All these differences are due to collective effects. Their understanding is thus fundamental in solid state physics, from electronic constituants to magnetic memories. As soon as one deals with many constituants, there appear new phenomena like morphogenesis, ordered structures, dynamical problems linked to irreversibility or to life, which require their own conceptual framework. Initially developed to explain thermodynamics, statistical physics has evolved in recent years towards the modelling of complex systems in which “particles” can be economic agents, neurons or informational bits... The course on statistical physics, taught by Marc Mézard and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, exposes the basic tools of this topic : probabilistic description, statistical entropy, links to thermodynamics. Then it studies the questions of identical particles and the consequences of Pauli principle. The concepts are illustrated by examples which range from solid state physics (metals, semi-conductors) to the thermal properties of radiation but also by collective behaviour of complex systems which come from outside of physics, from bio-molecules to interacting agents. Bibliography :
Physique statistique by Antoine Georges and Marc Mézard Physique statistique - Exercices et corrigés by Claudine Hermann Last Modification : Tuesday 10 April 2012 |
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