Abstract
In this chapter, the grand canonical ensemble describing a system that exchanges energy and particles with the external world is introduced. The density fluctuations at the critical point and the ideal quantum boson and fermion gases are presented as key applications of this ensemble.
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Further Reading
R. Balescu, Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Wiley, New York, 1975). Contains a derivation of the London–Placzek relation.
N.W. Ashcroft, N.D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Saunders, Philadelphia, 1976). A classic introduction to the conduction electrons viewed as an ideal fermion gas.
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics, 3rd ed. (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989). Provides a compact treatment of the ideal quantum systems with many applications.
R. Kubo, Statistical Mechanics, 8th ed. (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1990). Contains a series of lectures and problems with complete solutions.
R. Balian, From Microphysics to Macrophysics, vol. 1 (Springer, Berlin, 1991). A good balance between the basic principles and the applications.
H.S. Robertson, Statistical Thermophysics (Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1993). Introduces an alternative approach to the Gibbs ensembles.
C. Townsend, W. Ketterle, S. Stiingari, Physics World 10, 29 (1997). A very readable account of the first observations of the Bose–Einstein condensation of ideal quantum gases.
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Baus, M., Tejero, C.F. (2021). Grand Canonical Ensemble. In: Equilibrium Statistical Physics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75432-7_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75432-7_6
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