Résumé:
Statistical physics is a fundamental to ol for understanding a wide range of physical phenomena. Without it, we would b e unable to rigorously study phase transitions in nature,
distinguish b etween a metal and an insulator, or explain remarkable phenomena such as
gas condensation, sup erconductivity, and sup erfluidity.
This cours e is the result of thirteen years of teaching exp erience in this field. I ts main
ob jective is to help students understand how to derive the macroscopic prop erties of a
system from the microscopic laws that govern the b ehavior of its constituents.
This do cument is an improved English version of my 2021 lecture note originally written
in French. In this new edition, I have revised and clarified many explanations, added new
ideas to enhance conceptual understanding, and included additional exercises to provide
more practice and depth.
The lecture note is structured into four chapters. The first chapter provides a general
intro duction to statistical physics, presenting the key concepts and mathematical to ols
used in the study of complex physical systems. The subsequent chapters are dedicated
to the detailed study of the various statistical ensembles: micro canonical, canonical, and
grand canonical.
This course is complemented by a carefully selected and solved set of exercises, ins pired
by the textb o ok Statistical Mechanics by R.K. Pathria and Paul D. Beale. These problems
are intended to reinforce conceptual understanding and provide practice in applying the
formalism.
I hope this modest contribution will serve as a helpful resource for Master 1 students
in Physics of Materials.
