FY810: Thermal Physics I (5 ECTS)

STADS: 07004801

Level
Master's level course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the spring semester.
3rd quarter.

Teacher responsible
Email: ipsen@memphys.sdu.dk

Additional teachers
lyngs@memphys.sdu.dk
steen@sdu.dk
svt@sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
Bachelor's degree in Nanobioscience. The course is only intended for students that are enrolled in the master's programme Nanobioscience.

Course introduction
The course gives an introduction to the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and shows their applications to selected physical and chemical systems and to the interpretation of experiments.

Expected learning outcome
After having attended the course, the students are expected to be able to:

1. Explain and apply the laws of thermodynamics
2. Apply Maxwell's relations
3. Formulate and use equilibrium conditions
4. Explain and apply thermodynamic potentials
5. State the conditions of thermodynamic stability
6. Set up statistic mechanical probability measures by the maximum entropy method
7. Calculate average and dispersion values of thermodynamic variables

Subject overview
The main topics are thermodynamics, basic statistical mechanics:

• The basic concepts of thermodynamics (state functions, first and second law of thermodynamics, thermodynamics potentials and response functions) are derived and discussed using simple examples e.g. the ideal gas.
• The thermodynamic fundament of the description of structural stability, chemical equilibrium and fase transition
• The basic principles of statistics are introduced and related to the thermodynamic description.
• Basic relations between equilibrium fluctuations and susceptibility are examined.
• Examples considered: surface absorption, piezo- and pyroelectricity, real gases, mixtures, rubber elasticity and evaporation, Ising paramagnetic model.
• An obligatory report on the relation between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics is to be written.

Literature

• S.J. Blundell og K.M. Blundell: Concepts in Thermal Physics (second edition) 2010, Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-956210-7 (paperback) findes også i Hard-udgave.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:
A written project report followed by a short oral exam (15 minutes), with the project report as a starting point. Marks according to the 7-point grading scale, internal examiner.

Reexam after 4th quarter. The examination type at reexamination may differ from the one at the ordinary examination.

Date of exam
The ordinary exam takes place on March 26, 2012
The re-examination takes place on June 8, 2012

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.

Lectures: 22 hours.
Tutorials: 20 hours.
Educational activities

Language
This course is taught in English, if international students participate. Otherwise the course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.