Preface

Summary

This book is aimed at teaching the important concepts of the various theories of statistical physics of dense liquids, freezing, and the liquid–glass transition. Both thermodynamic and time-dependent phenomena relating to transport properties are discussed. The standard tools of statistical physics of the dense liquid state and the associated technicalities needed to learn them are included in the presentation. Details of some of the calculations have been included, whenever needed, in the appendices at the ends of chapters. I hope this will make the book more accessible to beginners in this very active field of research. The book is expected to be useful for graduate students and researchers working in the area of soft-condensed-matter physics, chemical physics, and the material sciences as well as for chemical engineers.

We now give a brief description of what is in the book. The first chapter reviews the basics of statistical mechanics necessary for studying the physics of the liquid state. Key concepts of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics are presented. The topics covered here have been chosen keeping in mind the theories and concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of the book. Following this introductory chapter, we focus on the physics of liquids near freezing. In Chapter 2, we demonstrate how the disordered liquid state as well as the crystalline state of matter with long-range order can be understood in a unified manner using thermodynamic extremum principles.