Practical Statistical Mechanics

This book — the first of three — introduces the standard techniques of statistical mechanics; presenting a practica approach to the recurring structures that link different areas of statistical physics. It's an ideal textbook for university courses on Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics, offering a broad, accessible starting point.

Francesco Caravelli is a physicist whose research spans equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, dynamical and complex systems, and quantum technologies. He began his scientific career in quantum gravity at the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute, later moving into complex systems during positions at the University of Oxford and University College London, followed by research in the private sector. Since joining Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2017, first as an Oppenheimer Fellow and later as a Staff Scientist in T4, he has investigated the dynamics of memristive and neuromorphic circuits, deriving exact results that link their memory properties to foundational principles of statistical physics. His recent work focuses on collective nonlinear dynamics, neuromorphic computing, low-power analog architectures, and emerging directions in quantum computing.

Diego A. R. Dalvit is a Senior Staff Member at the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is a quantum optics theorist with expertise in Casimir physics, statistical mechanics, quantum sensing, and metamaterials. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1998. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and Optica. He has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed papers, with more than 9,800 citations. He has also co- authored two physics textbooks, one a guide to the essence of Casimir physics, and one on problems on statistical mechanics.