Springer, 2018. — 444 p. — (Graduate Texts in Physics). — ISBN: 9402415831.
This book aims to cover a broad range of topics in statistical physics, including statistical mechanics (equilibrium and non-equilibrium), soft matter and fluid physics, for applications to biological phenomena at both cellular and macromolecular levels. It is intended to be a graduate level textbook, but can also be addressed to the interested senior level undergraduate. The book is written also for those involved in research on biological systems or soft matter based on physics, particularly on statistical physics.
Typical statistical physics courses cover ideal gases (classical and quantum) and interacting units of simple structures. In contrast, even simple biological fluids are solutions of macromolecules, the structures of which are very complex. The goal of this book to fill this wide gap by providing appropriate content as well as by explaining the theoretical method that typifies good modeling, namely, the method of coarse-grained descriptions that extract the most salient features emerging at mesoscopic scales. The major topics covered in this book include thermodynamics, equilibrium statistical mechanics, soft matter physics of polymers and membranes, non-equilibrium statistical physics covering stochastic processes, transport phenomena and hydrodynamics.
Generic methods and theories are described with detailed derivations, followed by applications and examples in biology. The book aims to help the readers build, systematically and coherently through basic principles, their own understanding of nonspecific concepts and theoretical methods, which they may be able to apply to a broader class of biological problems.
Introduction: Biological Systems and Physical Approaches
Basic Concepts of Relevant Thermodynamics and Thermodynamic Variables
Basic Methods of Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics
Statistical Mechanics of Fluids and Solutions
Coarse-Grained Description: Mesoscopic States, Effective Hamiltonian and Free Energy Functions
Water and Biologically-Relevant Interactions
Law of Chemical Forces: Transitions, Reactions, and Self-assemblies
The Lattice and Ising Models
Responses, Fluctuations, Correlations and Scatterings
Mesoscopic Models of Polymers: Flexible Chains
Mesoscopic Models of Polymers: Semi-flexible Chains and Polyelectrolytes
Membranes and Elastic Surfaces
Brownian Motions
Stochastic Processes, Markov Chains and Master Equations
Theory of Markov Processes and the Fokker-Planck Equations
The Mean-First Passage Times and Barrier Crossing Rates
Dynamic Linear Responses and Time Correlation Functions
Noise-Induced Resonances: Stochastic Resonance, Resonant Activation, and Stochastic Ratchets
Transport Phenomena and Fluid Dynamics
Dynamics of Polymers and Membranes in Fluids
Epilogue