Statistical Mechanics of Nonequilibrium Processes: Basic Concepts, Kinetic Theory

This is the first of a two-volume textbook on the modern statistical theory of nonequilibrium processes. The general method of nonequilibrium ensembles is used to describe kinetic processes in classical and quantum systems. The presentation of a wide range of nonequilibrium phenomena in many-particle systems is based on the unified approach, which is a natural extension of the method of Gibbs ensembles to the non-equilibrium case. Topical problems of the modern kinetic theory are examined, such as many-particle effects in classical kinetics, non-Markovian kinetic equations for plasmas, and quantum kinetic processes in the presence of strong external fields. Exercises and problems are included, and the text is suitable for both postgraduates and professionals.