dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaHistory and outlook of statistical physics
| Authors | D. Flamm |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/9803005 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9803005 |
Abstract
This paper gives a short review of the history of statistical physics starting from D. Bernoulli's kinetic theory of gases in the 18th century until the recent new developments in nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the last decades of this century. The most important contributions of the great physicists Clausius, Maxwell and Boltzmann are sketched. It is shown how the reversibility and the recurrence paradox are resolved within Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics. An approach to classical and quantum statistical mechanics is outlined. Finally the progress in nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the second half of this century is sketched starting from the work of N.N. Bogolyubov in 1946 up to the progress made recently in understanding the diffusion processes in dense fluids using computer simulations and analytical methods.
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"abstract": "This paper gives a short review of the history of statistical physics\nstarting from D. Bernoulli\u0027s kinetic theory of gases in the 18th century until\nthe recent new developments in nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the last\ndecades of this century. The most important contributions of the great\nphysicists Clausius, Maxwell and Boltzmann are sketched. It is shown how the\nreversibility and the recurrence paradox are resolved within Boltzmann\u0027s\nstatistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics. An approach to\nclassical and quantum statistical mechanics is outlined. Finally the progress\nin nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the second half of this century is sketched\nstarting from the work of N.N. Bogolyubov in 1946 up to the progress made\nrecently in understanding the diffusion processes in dense fluids using\ncomputer simulations and analytical methods.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/9803005",
"authors": [
"D. Flamm"
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"categories": [
"physics.hist-ph"
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"title": "History and outlook of statistical physics",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9803005"
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