Advanced Statistical Physics (WS 16/17)

Announcement: Introduction to Statistical Optics

In the upcoming summer semester Dr. Philip Born offers a lecture on light scattering in complex media. If you liked statstical physics this may be interesting as well. It counts for 3 credits in the Area of Specialization Biological and Statistical Physics

• You will have the opportunity to have a look at the exams (Klausureinsicht) on April 20, 13-14pm
• You can find preliminary results of the 2nd exam here!
• You can find the results of the 1st exam here!

Course Description

Statistical physics describes interacting systems of many degrees of freedom. Tools and concepts of statistical physics find application in condensed matter physics, but also far beyond the traditional realm of physics, in the modeling of biological, economic or social systems. This lecture course covers the basic tools of modern statistical physics as well as the required mathematical apparatus.

Topics include

• Review of basic concepts
• Random walks and collective diffusion
• Phase transitions, critical phenomena and renormalization
• Correlation functions and Dynamics

Lecture (HS III)

Tuesday

12:00 – 13:30

Thursday

10:00 – 11:30

Lecture Notes

These can also be found on Ilias

The whole script as one file

• 1. Lecture (MS) October 18
• 2. Lecture (MS) October 20
• 3. Lecture (MS) October 25
• 4. Lecture (MS) October 27
• 5. Lecture (TK) November 3
• 6. Lecture (TK) November 8
• 7. Lecture (TK) November 10
• 8. Lecture (TK) November 15
• 9. Lecture (MS/TK) November 17
  • Mermin-Wagner Theorem: N. D. Mermin and H. Wagner, Phys. Rev. Lett. 17, 1133 (1966)
  • Superfluid He-4 films: Marvin Chester, L. C. Yang, and J. B. Stephens, Phys. Rev. Lett. 29, 211 (1972)
  • Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition: J M Kosterlitz and D J Thouless, J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. 6, 1181 (1973) and a very accessible recent talk by Kosterlitz. There is also a nice explanation with a beautiful vortex-anti-vortex pair from John Baez
  • Two-dimensional melting: B. I. Halperin and David R. Nelson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 41, 121 (1978) and A. P. Young, Phys. Rev. B 19, 1855 (1979)
• 10. Lecture (MS) November 22
• 11. Lecture (TK) November 24
• 12. Lecture (MS) November 29
• 13. Lecture (MS) December 1
• 14. Lecture (MS) December 6
• 15. Lecture (MS) December 8
• 16. Lecture (MS) December 13
• 17. Lecture (MS) December 15
• 18. Lecture (MS) December 20
• 19. Lecture (MS) December 22
• 20. Lecture (MS) January 10
• 21. Lecture (MS) January 12
• 22. Lecture (MS) January 17
• 23. Lecture (MS/TK) January 19
• 24. Lecture (MS) January 24
• 25. Lecture (MS) January 26
• 26. Lecture (TK) January 31
  • Review on Traffic Flow: D. Chowdhury, L. Santen, and A. Schadschneider, Phys. Rep. 329, 199 (2000)
  • ASEP: B. Derrida, Phys. Rep. 301, 65 (1998) and B. Derrida et al., J. Phys. A 26, 1493 (1993)
  • Many nice biological applications of the ASEP: T Chou, K Mallick, and R K P Zia, Rep. Prog. Phys. 74, 116601 (2011)
• 27. Lecture (TK) February 2
  • KPZ Equation: M. Kardar, G. Parisi, and Y.-C. Zhang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 889 (1986), and a rather mathematical review I. Corwin, arxiv:1106.1596
• 28. Lecture (TK) February 7
  • Seminal papers: Denis J. Evans, E. G. D. Cohen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 2401 (1993) and G. Gallavotti and E. G. D. Cohen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2694 (1995)
  • Bochkov-Kuzovlev-Relation: GN Bochkov, YE Kuzovlev, JETP 45, 125 (1977)
  • Jarzynski Relation: C. Jarzynski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2690 (1997)
  • Crooks Relation: Gavin E. Crooks, Phys. Rev. E 61, 2361 (2000)
• 29. Lecture (TK) February 9
  • Conditions for Fluctuation Relations to hold are discussed by F. Zamponi, J. Stat. Mech. 2007, P02008 (2007)
  • Fluctuation Relations & Evolution: V. Mustonen, and M. Lässig, PNAS 107, 4248 (2009)

Recommended Reading

• M. Plischke and B. Bergersen, Equilibrium Statistical Physics (3rd edition, World Scientific 2006)
• P.L. Krapivsky, S. Redner and E. Ben-Naim: A kinetic view of statistical physics (Cambridge University Press 2010)

Tutorials

The tutorials take place on Monday. Tutorials start on October 24

• The problem sheets are issued on Thursdays on this web page and are due the following Thursday before the lecture.
• The problem sheets are to be submitted to the letter box in the entrance hall
• You may (but do not have to) hand in the problem sheets in teams of two. Both team members must have the same tutor.
• For further questions about the organization of the tutorials, please contact Till Kranz

Problem Sheets

• 1. Problem Set due October 27, 10am
• 2. Problem Set due November 3, 10am
• 3. Problem Set due November 10, 10am
• 4. Problem Set due November 17, 10am
• 5. Problem Set due November 24, 10am. Remarks regarding Problem 14
• 6. Problem Set due December 1, 10am
• 7. Problem Set due December 8, 10am
• 8. Problem Set due December 15, 10am
• 9. Problem Set due December 22, 10am
• 10. Problem Set due January 12, 10am
• 11. Problem Set due January 19, 10am
• 12. Problem Set due January 26, 10am. The factor 1/3 given in the solution to Problem 35 is wrong. Equipartition gives every degeree of freedom a term k_B T/2 not all three of them together.

Exams

Some info on the exam

• There seem to be all kinds of complications with KLIPS. If you cannot register for the exam but you believe you are eligible please send me an email and you will be able to sit the exam
• You only need a pen and your student ID. It is not allowed to bring any tools, books, notes, cheat sheets, etc.
• Exam problems are based on the problem sheets discussed in the tutorials
• Complicated integrals will be provided where necessary