Kirjahaku

This monograph is based on lecture notes of a graduate course, which focuses on the relations between information theory and statistical physics. The course was delivered at the Technion during the Spring of 2010 for the first time, and its target audience consists of EE graduate students in the area of communications and information theory, as well as graduate students in physics who have basic background in information theory.Strong emphasis is given to the analogy and parallelism between information theory and statistical physics, as well as to the insights, the analysis tools and techniques that can be borrowed from statistical physics and 'imported' to certain problem areas in information theory. This is a research trend that has been very active in the last few decades, and the hope is that by exposing the students to the meeting points between these two disciplines, their background and perspective may be expanded and enhanced.

The main body of this book is devoted to statistical physics, whereas much less emphasis is given to thermodynamics. In particular, the idea is to present the most important outcomes of thermodynamics – most notably, the laws of thermodynamics – as conclusions from derivations in statistical physics. Special emphasis is on subjects that are vital to engineering education. These include, first of all, quantum statistics, like the Fermi-Dirac distribution, as well as diffusion processes, both of which are fundamental to a sound understanding of semiconductor devices. Another important issue for electrical engineering students is understanding of the mechanisms of noise generation and stochastic dynamics in physical systems, most notably in electric circuitry. Accordingly, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical mechanics, which is the theoretical basis for understanding thermal noise processes in systems, is presented from a signals-and-systems point of view, in away that is readily accessible for engineering students and in relation with other courses in the electrical engineering curriculum, like courses on random processes.

The main body of this book is devoted to statistical physics, whereas much less emphasis is given to thermodynamics. In particular, the idea is to present the most important outcomes of thermodynamics – most notably, the laws of thermodynamics – as conclusions from derivations in statistical physics. Special emphasis is on subjects that are vital to engineering education. These include, first of all, quantum statistics, like the Fermi-Dirac distribution, as well as diffusion processes, both of which are fundamental to a sound understanding of semiconductor devices. Another important issue for electrical engineering students is understanding of the mechanisms of noise generation and stochastic dynamics in physical systems, most notably in electric circuitry. Accordingly, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical mechanics, which is the theoretical basis for understanding thermal noise processes in systems, is presented from a signals-and-systems point of view, in away that is readily accessible for engineering students and in relation with other courses in the electrical engineering curriculum, like courses on random processes.