The aim of this book is the pedagogical exploration of the basic principles of quantum-statistical thermodynamics as applied to various states of matter - ranging from rare gases to astrophysical matter with high-energy density. The reader will learn in this work that thermodynamics and quantum statistics are still the concepts on which even the most advanced research is operating - despite of a flood of modern concepts, classical entities like temperature, pressure, energy and entropy are shown to remain fundamental.
The physics of gases, plasmas and high-energy density matter is still a growing field and even though solids and liquids dominate our daily life, more than 99 percent of the visible Universe is in the state of gases and plasmas and the overwhelming part of matter exists at extreme conditions connected with very large energy densities, such as in the interior of stars.
This text, combining material from lectures and advanced seminars given by the authorsover many decades, is a must-have introduction and reference for both newcomers and seasoned researchers alike.
"The book does cover all of the basic foundations underlying the development of those methods. ? Students with a strong background in statistical mechanics will find that the book details a wide range of applications to dense gases, nonideal plasmas, and quark-gluon plasmas." (Michael Murillo, Physics Today, September, 2018)
"This fundamental book that have been written by well-known physicists is the best introduction to quantum statistic and thermodynamics of dense gases and plasmas. ? This book may be useful for scientists, graduate students, and for all who are interested in the thermodynamics and quantum statistic of dense gases and plasmas." (Oleg A. Sinkevich, zbMATH 1392.82001, 2018)
