Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics
A Modern Perspective

A comprehensive and pedagogical text on nonequilibrium statistical physics, covering topics from random walks to pattern formation.

Roberto Livi (Author), Paolo Politi (Author)

9781107049543, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 October 2017

434 pages, 111 b/w illus. 6 tables
25.3 x 19.2 x 2.3 cm, 1.12 kg

'The smart organizational choices mean that readers can get a feeling for the physical concepts involved and for where to find more information. A related website collects errata and offers additional resources for students. In addition to difficult choices of subject inclusion, Livi and Politi had to decide how much detail to include … They present the essentials using simple language, give a few examples, and provide a few references to more specialized books and reviews. Then they move on to the next topic. I found the chapters in the book to be reasonably self-contained. Committed students can work through the whole book, and less patient readers can concentrate on one or two chapters at a time. Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics will be welcomed both by students and researchers entering the field and by those who are familiar with some recent developments and would like to learn more about others.' Daan Frenke, Physics Today

Statistical mechanics has been proven to be successful at describing physical systems at thermodynamic equilibrium. Since most natural phenomena occur in nonequilibrium conditions, the present challenge is to find suitable physical approaches for such conditions: this book provides a pedagogical pathway that explores various perspectives. The use of clear language, and explanatory figures and diagrams to describe models, simulations and experimental findings makes the book a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, and also for lecturers organizing teaching at varying levels of experience in the field. Written in three parts, it covers basic and traditional concepts of nonequilibrium physics, modern aspects concerning nonequilibrium phase transitions, and application-orientated topics from a modern perspective. A broad range of topics is covered, including Langevin equations, Levy processes, directed percolation, kinetic roughening and pattern formation.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Notations and acronyms
1. Brownian motion, Langevin and Fokker–Planck equations
2. Linear response theory and transport phenomena
3. From equilibrium to out-of-equilibrium phase transitions
4. Out-of-equilibrium critical phenomena
5. Stochastic dynamics of surfaces and interfaces
6. Phase-ordering kinetics
7. Highlights on pattern formation
Appendix A. Central limit theorem and its limitations
Appendix B. Spectral properties of stochastic matrices
Appendix C. Reversibility and ergodicity in a Markov chain
Appendix D. Diffusion equation and random walk
Appendix E. Kramers–Moyal expansion
Appendix F. Mathematical properties of response functions
Appendix G. The van der Waals equation
Appendix H. The Ising model
Appendix I. Derivation of the Ginzburg–Landau free energy
Appendix J. Kinetic Monte Carlo
Appendix K. Mean-field phase diagram of the bridge model
Appendix L. The deterministic KPZ and the Burgers' equation
Appendix M. The perturbative renormalization group for KPZ: a few details
Appendix N. The Gibbs–Thomson relation
Appendix O. The Allen–Cahn equation
Appendix P. The Rayleigh–Bénard instability
Appendix Q. General conditions for the Turing instability
Appendix R. Steady states of the one-dimensional TDGL equation
Appendix S. Multiscale analysis
Index.

Subject Areas: Statistical physics [PHS], Physics [PH]