Descriptif

Thermodynamics and statistical physics are two pivotal frame theories, with uncountable applications in many fields. Thermodynamics offers a conceptual framework that is both elegant and remarkably fruitful for describing the physics of a wide variety of macroscopic systems. It makes it possible to understand, describe, and predict the physics of systems as diverse as molecular gases, fluids, magnetic materials, as well as astrophysical objects, such as stars, galaxies or even the entire Universe. Statistical physics, on the other hand, permits to justify the axioms of thermodynamics and, more importantly, go significantly beyond, bridging the gap between the microscopic and macroscopic scales. It played a major role in the revolution of physics in the 20th century, paving the way for major advances. In the first place, it makes it possible to understand how quantum effects show up at the macroscopic scale, for instance in condensed-matter physics or in astrophysics.

The aim of this course is to offer an introduction to thermodynamics and statistical physics, and discuss a number of applications in a variety of contexts, from classical to quantum.