Stir in stillness : a study in the foundations of equilibrium statistical mechanics

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation has been to investigate whether and how SM is (or can be made) a satisfactory theory for thermal phenomena of systems in equilibrium. This central research question splits into two separate parts: Can SM reproduce the empirically successful predictions of TD? And can it do so in a conceptually satisfactory way, i.e. by giving explanations in micromechanical terms? Now it is time to review whether this goal has been achieved. In the different parts of this dissertation I have treated different kinds of thermal phenomena, i.e. different parts of TD that SM has to reproduce. Part III dealt with the question why the phase averaging method is successful. This question addresses a very central feature of the statistical mechanical method, because it affects the relation between thermal obervables and ensemble theory. With respect to this topic only the second of the above questions had to be addressed, since the way in which thermodynamic results can be reproduced is undisputed here. With respect to the topics of Part II and Part IV also the question of how SM can reproduce thermodynamic predictions had to be addressed. The thermal phenomena at issue in these Parts are those connected to the notion of entropy, and the approach to equilibrium.