This textbook presents the fundamental concepts and theories in thermal physics and elementary statistical mechanics in a very simple, systematic and comprehensive way. This book is written in a way that it presents the topics in a holistic manner with end-of-chapter exercises and examples where concepts are supported by numerous solved examples and multiple-choice questions to aid self-learning. The textbook also contains illustrated diagrams for better understanding of the concepts. The book will benefit students who are taking introductory courses in thermal physics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.
Introduction.- The Laws of Thermodynamics.- Second Law of Thermodynamics.- Entropy.- Thermodynamic Potentials and Maxwell Relations.- Kinetic Theory of Gases.- Real Gases.- Applications to Some Irreversible Changes, Cooling of Real Gases.- Theory of Radiation.- Elementary Statistical Mechanics.
Sandeep Sharma, Ph.D. (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) and M. Tech. (IIT-Delhi), is Asst. Professor at Dept. of Physics, GNDU Amritsar, Punjab. Prior to joining GNDU, he worked as an engineer at Semiconductor Laboratory (Department of Space, India) Mohali (Punjab) and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (now Global Foundaries), Singapore. He has worked at various world renowned laboratories, such as MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at University of Twente, The Netherlands. Thereafter, he shifted to Spintronics Research Center, at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tsukuba, Japan, for his Ph.D. assignment.
With more than fourteen years of teaching and research experience in India and abroad, he has co-authored more than forty five research papers in peer-reviewed international journals including two in Nature. He is recipient of various awards like Merit fellowship (HPBOSE Dharamshala), GATE-Fellowship (MHRD-New Delhi), prestigious FOM-Fellowship (The Netherlands). He is a member of various professional bodies like Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT), Punjab Science Academy and American Chemical Society and presently serving as Member Board of Studies (BOS) at GNDU-Amritsar.
