While the discipline of statistical physics historically originated in attempts to describe thermal properties of matter in terms of its constituent particles, the impact of the formalism reached far beyond the derivation of laws of thermodynamics. On one hand, statistical physics played a fundamental role in the development of quantum mechanics, both in calling for the need of quantum mechanics and in conceptual development of quantum mechanics. However, what is perhaps more relevant to current generation is that the statistical physics is inherently about the emergence of new collective properties in the macroscopic realm from the dynamics and interaction of many microscopic degrees of freedom. It is this aspect which makes the concepts and formalisms in statistical physics  useful in studies of wide range of subjects such as engineering, computation, chemistry, social sciences, biological sciences  in addition to solid state physics.

In this course, we will attempt at establishing solid foundation of central concepts with the focus of making such conceptual understanding useful for attacking real life research questions each student might encounter.