D. Flamm | Searcharxiv

arXiv1998

History and outlook of statistical physics

This paper gives a short review of the history of statistical physics starting from D. Bernoulli's kinetic theory of gases in the 18th century until the recent new developments in nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the last decades of this century. The most important contributions of the great physicists Clausius, Maxwell and Boltzmann are sketched. It is shown how the reversibility and the recurrence paradox are resolved within Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics. An approach to classical and quantum statistical mechanics is outlined. Finally the progress in nonequilibrium kinetic theory in the second half of this century is sketched starting from the work of N.N. Bogolyubov in 1946 up to the progress made recently in understanding the diffusion processes in dense fluids using computer simulations and analytical methods.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv1997

Ludwig Boltzmann -- A Pioneer of Modern Physics

In two respects Ludwig Boltzmann was a pioneer of quantum mechanics. First because in his statistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics he introduced the theory of probability into a fundamental law of physics and thus broke with the classical prejudice, that fundamental laws have to be strictly deterministic. Even Max Planck had not been ready to accept Boltzmann's statistical methods until 1900. With Boltzmann's pioneering work the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics had already a precedent. In fact in a paper in 1897 Boltzmann had already suggested to Planck to use his statistical methods for the treatment of black body radiation. The second pioneering step towards quantum mechanics was Boltzmann's introduction of discrete energy levels. Boltzmann used this method already in his 1872 paper on the H-theorem. One may ask whether Boltzmann considered this procedure only as a mathematical device or whether he attributed physical significance to it. In this connection Ostwald reports that when he and Planck tried to convince Boltzmann of the superiority of purely thermodynamic methods over atomism at the Halle Conference in 1891 Boltzmann suddenly said: ``I see no reason why energy shouldn't also be regarded as divided atomically.'' Finally I would like to mention, that Boltzmann in his lectures on Natural Philosophy in 1903 already anticipated the equal treatment of space coordinates and time introduced in the theory of special relativity. Furthermore in the lectures by Boltzmann and his successor Fritz Hasenöhrl in Vienna the students learned already about noneuclidean geometry, so that they could immediately start to work when Einstein's general theory of relativity had been formulated.

physics.hist-ph↗