This book develops in detail the statistical foundations of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, based on the mathematical theory of Brownian motion. Author Bernard H. Lavenda demonstrates that thermodynamic criteria emerge in the limit of small thermal fluctuations and in the Gaussian limit where means and modes of the distribution coincide. His treatment assumes the theory of Brownian motion to be a general and practical model of irreversible processes that are inevitably influenced by random thermal fluctuations. This unifying approach permits the extraction of widely applicable principles from the analysis of specific models.
Arranged by argument rather than theory, the text is based on the premises that random thermal fluctuations play a decisive role in governing the evolution of nonequilibrium thermodynamic processes and that they can be viewed as a dynamic superposition of many random events. Intended for nonmathematicians working in the areas of nonequilibrium thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, this book will also be of interest to chemical physicists, condensed matter physicists, and readers in the area of nonlinear optics.