The logic of thermostatistical physics
algorithmic complexityentropyphase transitionsrandomnessrecursive functionsrenormalizationscalingstatistical mechanicsthermodynamicsthermostatics
Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to classical thermodynamics (80-02) Foundations of thermodynamics and heat transfer (80A05) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to statistical mechanics (82-02) Foundations of equilibrium statistical mechanics (82B03) Statistical thermodynamics (82B30) Kinetic theory of gases in equilibrium statistical mechanics (82B40) Foundations of time-dependent statistical mechanics (82C03) Irreversible thermodynamics, including Onsager-Machlup theory (82C35) Kinetic theory of gases in time-dependent statistical mechanics (82C40)
The book addresses several of the foundational problems in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. It deals with the philosophical underpinning of models, model-building and theories in classical and quantum thermophysics. The book relies on logic and on the philosophy of science as well as on modern mathematics. Also the history of some scientific ideas in these fields is considered. The philosophical analysis is based on the separation of syntax and semantics. Entropy and randomness are discussed by use of recursive functions and algorithmic complexity. The preface tells, how to read the book for scientists of different disciplines. Basic concepts and physical models are reviewed in the fields of phase transitions, scaling, renormalization semigroups and the irreversible approach to equilibrium. In more detail the chapters are the following: 1: Theories and models: a philosophical overview. 2: Thermostatics. 3: Kinetic theory of gases. 4: Classical propability 5: Modern probability: syntax and models. 6: Modern probability: competing semantics. 7: Setting-up the ergodic problem. 8: Models and ergodic hierarchy. 9: Ergodicity vs. integrability. 10: The Gibbs canonical ensembles. 11: Phase transitions: van der Waals to Lenz. 12: Ising and related models. 13: Scaling and renormalization. 14: Quantum models for phase transitions. 15: Approach to equilibrium in quantum mechanics. 16: The philosophical horizon. The appendices are: Models in mathematical logic, The calculus of differentials, Recursive functions, Topological essences, Models vs. models. A remarkable long list of references, a citation index and a subject index are closing the book. Concerning thermophysics the book is starting out with statistical physics, as announced in its title. The phenomenological nonequilibrium theories as Irreversible, Rational or Extended Thermodynamics and also theories of reduced description of thermodynamical systems are not considered. Nevertheless, the clearly written book contains interesting historical remarks and shows the philosophy behind thermo-statistics. The extraordinarily detailed list of references and its far-reaching range makes the book valuable for mathematicians, physicists and philosophers of science in research and teaching. Its representation may stimulate further philosophical investigations.
- An introduction to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics.
- Statistical and thermal physics. An introduction.
- The Concept of Probability in Statistical Physics
- Statistical mechanics: a short treatise
- From microphysics to macrophysics. Methods and applications of statistical physics. Vol. I. Translated from the French by D. ter Haar and J. F. Gregg.
- Law without law or ``just limit theorems? Some reflections about a proposal of Wheeler's
- Irreversibility and typicality: a simple analytical result for the Ehrenfest model
- Contextual emergence of physical properties
- Transcriptional stochasticity in gene expression
- The question of negative temperatures in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics
- Green's theorem for generalized fractional derivatives
- Physical theory. Method and interpretation
- Extending List's levels
- How applied mathematics became pure
- Heat production of noninteracting fermions subjected to electric fields
- Introduction: Proceedings of the Conference on Philosophical and Foundational Issues in Statistical Physics
- Probabilistic issues in statistical mechanics
- Explaining quantum spontaneous symmetry breaking
- Models and the dynamics of theory-building in physics. II: Case studies
- Models and the dynamics of theory-building in physics. I: Modeling strategies
- Less is different: emergence and reduction reconciled
- Boltzmann's H-theorem, its discontents, and the birth of statistical mechanics
- The Unruh effect for philosophers
- Action, time and entropy: the mechanical origin
- The quantitative content of statistical mechanics
- Thermolinguistics and human thermodynamics. Correspondence principles
This page was built for publication: The logic of thermostatistical physics
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q3149248)
