Unit I
Thermal and adiabatic interactions: Thermal interaction, Zeroth law of thermodynamics, systems in thermal contact with a heat reservoir (canonical distribution), Energy Fluctuations, Entropy of a system, Helmholtz free energy, Adiabatic interaction and enthalpy, General interaction and first of thermodynamics, Infinitesimal general interaction, Gibb's free energy, Phase transitions, Triple point, First and second-order phase transition, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Vapour-pressure curve, transformation of disorder into order, Heat engine and efficiency of engine, carnot's Cycle; Thermodynamic scale as an absolute scale, Maxwell relations and their applications.
Unit II
Kinetic Theory: Derivation of Maxwell's law of distribution of velocities and its experimental verification, most probable, average and RMS velocities, Diffusion, Equipartition Theorem, Classical theory of Specific heat capacity, the specific heat of solid (Explanation on the basis of Einstein and Debye Theory. Transport Phenomenon: Mean free path, Distribution of free path, Coefficients of viscosity, thermal conductivity and diffusion, Brownian motion, Langevin's and Einstein's theories, Experimental determination of Avogadro number.
Unit III
Production of low temperatures: Cooling by Adiabatic expansion, Coefficient of performance, Joule Thomson effect, J-T coefficient for ideal as well as-Vander Waal's gases, porous plug experiment, Temperature of inversion, Regenerative cooling, Air Liquefiers. Adiabatic demagnetization of paramagnetic substances: Nuclear Para-magnetism, Liquid He I and He II, Superfluidity, Quest for absolute zero, Third law of thermodynamics and Nernst Heat Theorem.
Unit IV
Quantum Statistics: Introduction to Phase space, Micro and Macro states, Thermodynamic probability, Entropy and probability, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distribution laws, Calculation of the thermodynamic functions of weak degenerate gas, Strong degeneration, Calculation of the thermodynamic functions of an ideal Bose gas, Derivation of Plank law, Flux of radiation energy, radiation pressure, thermodynamic functions of an ideal Fermi electron gas, Free electron model for metals, Spectra of metals, Richardson's equation of thermionic emission, Relativistic fermi gas, White dwarf stars, Chandrasekhar mass limit.
