Which branch of physics uses stat mech the most?

[creepypasta13]

in the areas of research in grad school, what areas uses statistical mechanics the most? condensed matter? astrophysics?

 

[olgranpappy]

Any branch that deals with a very large number of particles will find stat mech useful. Statistical mechanics is very useful in condensed matter physics for just this reason.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

There's a group here at USC doing molecular dynamics simulations of pretty large systems...I don't know everything they're doing, but last year I watched some guy's simulation of cracks forming in a solid crystal.

Stat mech is very useful for these kinds of things, so you can calculate temperature, pressure, etc. Or more precisely, so you can specify what temperature and pressure, etc., you want to simulate; then you can investigate the behavior of materials under different conditions.