Áurea R. Vasconcellos - Böcker

Within the framework of Jaynes' "Predictive Statistical Mechanics", this book presents a detailed derivation of an ensemble formalism for open systems arbitrarily away from equilibrium. This involves a large systematization and extension of the fundamental works and ideas of the pioneers Gibbs and Boltzmann, and of Bogoliubov, Kirkwood, Green, Mori, Zwanzig, Prigogine and Zubarev, among others. Chapters One to Five include a description of the philosophy, foundations, and construction (methodology) of the formalism, including the derivation of a nonequilibrium grand-canonical ensemble for far-from-equilibrium systems as well as the derivation of a quantum nonlinear kinetic theory and a response function theory together with a theory of scattering. In Chapter Six applications of the theory are catalogued, making comparisons with experimental data (a basic step for the validation of any theory). Chapter Seven is devoted to the description of irreversible thermodynamics, providing a far-reaching generalization of informational-statistical thermodynamics. The last chapter gives an overall picture of the formalism, and questions and criticisms related to it are discussed.The book is directed at an audience of researchers in the field of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics of open nonequilibrium systems. In addition, it is relevant for the study of far-from-equilibrium processes in condensed matter, particularly semiconductor physics, as well as molecular hydrodynamics, rheology, many-body systems with complex behaviour and areas of engineering, and so on. It can also be used as a complement to advanced graduate courses in statistical mechanics.

Thermodynamics is considered to be an offshoot of the Industrial Revo­ lution that began in England in the second half of the 18th Century and from there spread to other parts of the world. The word thermodynamics is derived from the Greek therme (meaning heat) and dynamis (meaning force). As well known, the origins of thermodynamics are founded in the early 19th century in the study of the motive power of heat; that is, the capability of hot bodies to produce mechanical work. However, there are of course precursors to these ideas: Temperature is probably the earliest thermodynamic concept to attain operational status (early in the 17th century with Galileo). The science of calorimetry beginning in the late 18th century (contemporary with the beginning of the Indus­ trial Revolution) led to the establishment of the caloric theory of heat [5]. Clausius in the second half of the 19th century established Thermody­ namics as a clearly defined science. The connection of Thermodynamics with Mechanics is first achieved through kinetic theory with the work of D. Bernouilli, J Herapath, ]. ]. Waterston, R. Clausius, ]. c. Maxwell, and finally L. Boltzmann, later through Statistical Mechanics, whose main purpose is to determine the thermodynamic properties and values of macroscopic observables in terms of the dynamical laws that govern the motion of the constitutive particles of the system. It is not easy to estab­ lish precisely the dates of the birth of Statistical Mechanics.