Spring 2026 - PHYS 445 D100
Statistical Physics (3)
Class Number: 6151
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Mon, Wed, Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Malcolm Kennett
malcolmk@sfu.ca
1 778 782-4826
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Prerequisites:
PHYS 344 or CHEM 360, with a minimum grade of C-. Recommended: PHYS 385.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Postulates of statistical mechanics, partition functions, applications to gases, paramagnetism and equilibrium. Quantum statistics and applications. Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
- Introduction to Statistical Mechanics: probability, random walks and entropy
- Ensembles: microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensembles, examples and connections to thermodynamics
- Liouville's Theorem and Ergodicity
- Kinetic Theory of gases
- Quantum Statistical Mechanics: fermions and boson
- Fermions: Fermi energy, Metals, White Dwarf Star
- Bosons: photons, blackbody radiation, Bose Einstein Condensation and Superfluidity, phonons and Debye model
- Ordering and phase transitions: Ising model, mean field theory, Landau theory
Grading
- Problem Sets 40%
- Midterm 15%
- Final Exam 45%
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
Required: Essential Statistical Physics, Kennett, M.P., Cambridge University Press.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Students who cannot write their exam during the course's scheduled exam time must request accommodation from their instructor in writing, clearly stating the reason for this request, within one week of the final exam schedule being posted.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.