Statistical Mechanics: From Thermodynamics to the Renormalization Group

This textbook provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, introduction to statistical mechanics. Crafted and class-tested over many years of teaching, it carefully guides advanced undergraduate and graduate students who are encountering statistical mechanics for the first time through this – sometimes - intimidating subject. The book provides a strong foundation in thermodynamics and the ensemble formalism of statistical mechanics. An introductory chapter on probability theory is included. Applications include degenerate Fermi systems, Bose-Einstein condensation, cavity radiation, phase transitions, and critical phenomena. The book concludes with a treatment of scaling theories and the renormalization group.
In addition, it provides clear descriptions of how to understand the foundational mathematics and physics involved and includes exciting case studies of modern applications of the subject in physics and wider interdisciplinary areas.