Phase Transitions of Simple Systems

Springer Series on Atomic, Optical, and Plasma Physics #42

by Boris M. Smirnov, Stephen R. Berry

This monograph develops a unified microscopic basis for phases and phase changes of bulk matter and small systems, based on classical physics. It describes the thermodynamics of ensembles of particles and explains phase transition in gaseous and liquid systems. The origins are derived from simple but physically relevant models of how transitions occur between rigid and fluid states, of how phase equilibria arise, and how they differ for small and large systems.

257 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007