The year 1985 represents a special anniversary for people dealing with Ooulomb systems. 200 years ago, in 1785, Oharles Auguste de Ooulomb (1736-1806) found "Ooulomb's law" for the interaction force between charged particles. The authors want to dedicate this book to the honour of the great pioneer of electrophysics. Recent statistical mechanics is mainly restricted to systems of neutral particles. Except for a few monographs and survey articles (see, e. g., IOHIMARU, 1973, 1982; KUDRIN, 1974; KLIMONTOVIOH, 1975; EBELING, KRAEFT and KREMP, 1976, 1979; KALMAN and CARINI, 1978; BAUS and HANSEN, 1980; GILL, 1981, VELO and WIGHT MAN, 1981; MATSUBARA, 1982) the extended material on charged particle systems, which is now available thanks to the efforts of many workers in statistical mechanics, is widely dispersed in many original articles. It is the aim of this monograph to represent at least some part of the known results on charged particle systems from a unified point of view. Here the method of Green's functions turns out to be a powerful method especially to overcome the difficulties connected with the statistical physics of charged particle systems; some of them are . mentioned in the introduction. Here we can point, e.g., to the appearance of bound states in a medium and their role as new entities.

No detailed description available for "Quantum Statistics of Charged Particle Systems".

This book deals with the statistical theory of strongly coupled Coulomb systems. After an elementary introduction to the physics of nonideal plasmas, a presentation of the method of (nonequilibrium) Green's functions is given. On this basis, the dielectric, thermodynamic, transport, and relaxation properties are discussed systematically. Especially, the behavior of bound states in the surrounding plasma (lowering of the ionization energy), the ionization kinetics, and the equation of state of dense partially ionized hydrogen are each carefully investigated. Furthermore, generalized kinetic equations are derived which are also valid for short time scales. They are applied to ultra-fast processes and to plasmas in laser fields.

Most of the matter in our universe is in a gaseous or plasma state. Yet, most textbooks on quantum statistics focus on examples from and applications in condensed matter systems, due to the prevalence of solids and liquids in our day-to-day lives. In an attempt to remedy that oversight, this book consciously focuses on teaching the subject matter in the context of (dilute) gases and plasmas, while aiming primarily at graduate students and young researchers in the field of quantum gases and plasmas for some of the more advanced topics. The majority of the material is based on a two-semester course held jointly by the authors over many years, and has benefited from extensive feedback provided by countless students and co-workers. The book also includes many historical remarks on the roots of quantum statistics: firstly because students appreciate and are strongly motivated by looking back at the history of a given field of research, and secondly because the spirit permeating this book has been deeply influenced by meetings and discussions with several pioneers of quantum statistics over the past few decades.

During the last decade impressive development and signi?cant advance of the physics of nonideal plasmas in astrophysics and in laboratories can be observed, creating new possibilities for experimental research. The enormous progress in laser technology, but also ion beam techniques, has opened new ways for the production and diagnosis of plasmas under extreme conditions, relevant for astrophysics and inertially con?ned fusion, and for the study of laser-matter interaction. In shock wave experiments, the equation of state and further properties of highly compressed plasmas can be investigated. This experimental progress has stimulated the further development of the statistical theory of nonideal plasmas. Many new results for thermodynamic and transport properties, for ionization kinetics, dielectric behavior, for the stopping power, laser-matter interaction, and relaxation processes have been achieved in the last decade. In addition to the powerful methods of quantum statistics and the theory of liquids, numerical simulations like path integral Monte Carlo methods and molecular dynamic simulations have been applied.

Complex plasmas differ from traditional plasmas in many ways: these are low-temperature high pressure systems containing nanometer to micrometer size particles which may be highly charged and strongly interacting. The particles may be chemically reacting or be in contact with solid surfaces, and the electrons may show quantum behaviour. These interesting properties have led to many applications of complex plasmas in technology, medicine and science. Yet complex plasmas are extremely complicated, both experimentally and theoretically, and require a variety of new approaches which go beyond standard plasma physics courses. This book fills this gap presenting an introduction to theory, experiment and computer simulation in this field. Based on tutorial lectures at a very successful recent Summer Institute, the presentation is ideally suited for graduate students, plasma physicists and experienced undergraduates.

Authored by a well-known expert in the field of nonequilibrium statistical physics, this book is a coherent presentation of the subject suitable for masters and PhD students, as well as postdocs in physics and related disciplines. Starting from a general discussion of irreversibility and entropy, the method of nonequilibrium statistical operator is presented as a general concept. Stochastic processes are introduced as a necessary prerequisite to describe the evolution of a nonequilibrium state. Different standard approaches such as master equations, kinetic equations and linear response theory, are derived after special assumptions. This allows for an insight into the problems of nonequilibrium physics, a discussion of the limits of the approaches, and suggestions for improvements. The method of thermodynamic Green's function is outlined that allows for the systematic quantum statistical treatment of many-body systems. Applications and typical examples are given, as well as fully worked problems.

Kinetic theory is the link between the non--equilibrium statistical mechanics of many particle systems and macroscopic or phenomenological physics. Therefore much attention is paid in this book both to the derivation of kinetic equations with their limitations and generalizations on the one hand, and to the use of kinetic theory for the description of physical phenomena and the calculation of transport coefficients on the other hand. The book is meant for researchers in the field, graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. At the end of each chapter a section of exercises is added not only for the purpose of providing the reader with the opportunity to test his understanding of the theory and his ability to apply it, but also to complete the chapter with relevant additions and examples that otherwise would have overburdened the main text of the preceding sections. The author is indebted to the physicists who taught him Statistical Mechanics, Kinetic Theory, Plasma Physics and Fluid Mechanics. I gratefully acknowledge the fact that much of the inspiration without which this book would not have been possible, originated from what I learned from several outstanding teachers. In particular I want to mention the late Prof. dr. H. C. Brinkman, who directed my first steps in the field of theoretical plasma physics, my thesis advisor Prof. dr. N. G. Van Kampen and Prof. dr. A. N. Kaufman, whose course on Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics in Berkeley I remember with delight.

By identifying unifying concepts across solid state physics, this text covers theory in an accessible way to provide graduate students with an intuitive understanding of effects and the basis for making quantitative calculations. Each chapter focuses on a different set of theoretical tools, using examples from specific systems and demonstrating practical applications to real experimental topics. Advanced theoretical methods including group theory, many-body theory, and phase transitions are introduced in an accessible way, and the quasiparticle concept is developed early, with discussion of the properties and interactions of electrons and holes, excitons, phonons, photons, and polaritons. New to this edition are sections on graphene, surface states, photoemission spectroscopy, 2D spectroscopy, transistor device physics, thermoelectricity, metamaterials, spintronics, exciton-polaritons, and flux quantization in superconductors. Exercises are provided to help put knowledge into practice, with a solutions manual for instructors available online, while appendices review the basic mathematical methods used in the book.

Focuses on the essential concepts needed for an intuitive understanding of modern solid state theory and its experimental applications.