Statistical Physics And The Atomic Theory Of Matter From Boyle And Newton To Landau And Onsager (princeton Series In Physics)

This work is a historical account of theories of the properties of matter, starting with the ideas of Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton about gas structure and continuing to the work of L. D. Landau and Lars Onsager. Describing the kinetic theories of gases proposed by Daniel Bernoulli (1738) and by various nineteenth-century scientists and the debates on irreversibility and randomness in atomic motion, Stephen G. Brush also discusses the transition from these ideas to quantum theory. The major part of the book deals with twentieth-century theories, based in part on quantum mechanics, applied to the superftuidity of liquid helium, matter in stars, interatomic forces, and the chemical bond. The author includes a substantial chapter on the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena. He also considers philosophical questions arising from the development of statistical mechanics, e.g., the issue of "reduction" of a macroscopic theory to a microscopic one. The last chapter surveys some outstanding current problems in the field. While historical in approach, the book is intended for readers with some knowledge of theoretical physics. Most of the material on the development of statistical mechanics since 1900 is not available in any other systematic survey. The description for this book, Statistical Physics and the Atomic Theory of Matter from Boyle and Newton to Landau and Onsager, will be forthcoming. By Stephen G. Brush. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [287]-336.