Planck's Legacy to Statistical Mechanics
Abstract
Description
In this talk I will describe the deep influence Planck had on the development of statistical mechanics. At this end I will first outline the theoretical situation of statistical mechanics before Planck. I will then describe his main contributions to this field and the progresses obtained as an immediate consequence of his work. I will also outline the later evolution of statistical mechanics in relation with Planck's work. I will finally report on a still unsolved problem in statistical mechanics, historically related to the properties of black-body radiation.
11 pages, historical talk given at the Accademia dei Lincei at the conference on Max Planck
11 pages, historical talk given at the Accademia dei Lincei at the conference on Max Planck