Abstract
The foundations of statistical mechanics are reviewed, based on the principle of maximum entropy, and this principle is shown to underlie the fundamental mechanisms of both equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena. Representative applications are provided—to quantum statistical systems in the first case, and to classical hydrodynamics in the second. Extensions of these ideas inspired by modern notions of chaos are mentioned, as well as ongoing work directed toward models of fully-developed turbulence.
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© 1989 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Grandy, W.T. (1989). The Three Phases of Statistical Mechanics. In: Skilling, J. (eds) Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 36. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7860-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7860-8_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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