Introduction

• Physics so far
  • Deterministic: Newton's law of motion; Maxwell's equation
  • Single/Few body system
• Macroscopic systems

dimension of freedom: (HUGE)

• Thermodynamics

phenomenological approach to equilibrium properties of macroscopic system

• Statistical Mechanics

a probabilistic approach

• Temperature

Large

• Phase transition

NO real phase transition when N is finite

Early Days of Quantum Mechanics

• 1900 Planck
• 1907 Einstein (固体热容量)
• 1912 Debye (固体热容量)
• 1925 Einstein & Bose
• 1926 Fermi & Dirac
• 1926 Fowler white dwarf
• 1927 Sommerfeld
• 临界现象 & Field Theory
• 1950 - 1960 Universality
• 1966 Kandanoff
• 1971 Wilson
• Recent Quantum Many-Body System

Thermalization