Computational Statistical Mechanics

Thermodynamics, based on the ideal gas thermometer, is related to Gibb's statistical mechanics through the use of Nosé-Hoover heat reservoirs. These reservoirs use integral feedback to control temperature. The same approach is carried through to the simulation and analysis of nonequilibrium mass, momentum, and energy flows. Such a unified approach makes possible consistent mechanical definitions of temperature, stress, and heat flux which lead to a microscopic demonstration of the Second Law of Thermodynamics directly from mechanics. The intimate connection linking Lyapunov-unstable microscopic motions to macroscopic dissipative flows through multifractal phase-space structures is illustrated with many examples from the recent literature.

The book is well-suited for undergraduate courses in advanced thermodynamics, statistical mechanic and transport theory, and graduate courses in physics and chemistry.