Lecturer: Mr R. Russell and Mr F. Toomey
Date: 1996-97
Groups: SS Theoretical Physics, optional JS Theoretical Physics, JS and SS Mathematics
Prerequisites: 211
Duration: 21 weeks
Lectures per week: 3
Assessment:
Examinations: One 3-hour examination
This is an introduction to the thermodynamic formalism of Ruelle and
Lanford which has been developed in the past twenty-five years from
the statistical mechanics of Boltzmann and Gibbs. The main
applications discussed are to physics (equilibrium thermodynamics and
first-order phase-transitions), but applications to risk theory,
queing theory and hypothesis-testing will also be considered. The
course is largely self-contained, suitable for mathematics and
theoretical physicists.