P4500 Problem Set I Time: 0 Hours November 2023 Total Marks: ∞

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Answer all questions.
2. Symbols retain their usual meanings unless stated otherwise.

3. Wherever necessary, draw a schematic diagram for illustrative purposes.

QUESTIONS
1) Explain the following terms
a) Assembly
b) Microcanonical ensemble
c) Canonical ensemble
d) Microscopic physics
e) Macroscopic physics
f) Configuration space
g) Phase space
h) Degrees of freedom
i) Equipartition theorem
j) Dulong-Petit law
k) Ultraviolet catastrophe
l) BEC
m) Fugacity
n) Debye temperature
o) Einstein temperature
p) Bose temperature
q) Fermi energy
r) λ−point/line
s) Riemann zeta function
t) Wien’s displacement law
u) Rayleigh-Jean law
v) Stefan-Boltzmann law
2) For a particle of mass m moving along x under the influence of some potential V (x), show that all three classical
mechanics formalisms (Euler-Lagrange,) lead to the same dynamics (Newton’s laws of motion).

3) Given that g(p) = 4πV h−3 p2 for some volume V , answer the following questions,
a) Show that g() = (2m)3/2 πV h−3 1/2 for some energy .
b) Find g(λ)dλ where λ is the wavelength.
c) Find g(ν)dν where ν is the frequency.

4) What is the essence of Boltzmann factor exp(− kBiT ) in Statistical mechanics?

5) Give an account of Gibb’s paradox and how it can be resolved in Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics.

1
 6) Briefly explain (with the help of a schematic diagram) the following terms,

a) Cell number
b) Cell energy
c) Cell weight
d) Cell occupation number

7) Write down the symbolic microstates of a cell the following conditions for MB statistics,
a) When g1 = 2 and n1 = 3 (label n = A, B, C).
b) When g1 = 3 and n1 = 3 (label n = A, B, C).
c) When g1 = 2 and n1 = 4 (label n = A, B, C, D).

8) Given four distinguishable particles A, B, C,and D and three energy levels with degeneracies 2, 2, and 3 respectively.
Calculate the number of ways of arranging four particles if n1 = 2, n2 = 1 and n3 = 1.
9) Consider a system of of eleven distinguishable particles having two energy levels with degeneracies 4 and 3. No
restriction on the number of particles in each level. Calculate the following,
a) The weight of the most probable macrostate.
b) The weight of the macrostate (11, 0).
c) The probability of occurrence of the macrostate (8, 3).
10) Use the undetermined Lagrange multipliers as method of constrained optimization to derive the MB statistics or
distribution,

a) Calculate the most probable particle speed.

b) Calculate the mean average particle speed.
c) Calculate the root mean squared (rms) speed.
d) Given the mean speed and rms speed, find the uncertainty in speed.

11) Repeat the previous question (all of it) for the case of,
a) Bose-Einstein statistics.
b) Fermi-Dirac statistics.
12) Outline the properties of BEC.

13) Show that both BE and FD statistics reduce to MB statistics in the limiting case under the right assumptions.
14) Outline two applications of FD statistics.
15) Show how the linear temperature (electronic contribution) term comes about in metals under FD statistics.
16) Mention any two basic different properties between fermions and bosons.
 3/2 
m mv 2
17) Show that the number of Maxwell Boltzmann particles in the speed range v to v+dv is n(v)dv = 4πN v 2 2πkB T exp − 2k BT

h   i−1
18) The Fermi distribution function is given by f (ε) = exp ε−ε F
kB T + 1 ,

a) Plot f (ε) as a function of ε at the following temperatures T = 0K and T > 0K on the same graph.
b) Give physical explanations of these graphs.

19) Derive the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function for an assembly of N distinguishable classical particles in
thermal equilibrium. Hence write the expression for total number of particles N and total energy E distributed
among closely energy levels.
20) Consider an ideal Bose Einstein gas containing of N bosons in a fixed volume V and temperature T
 2πmk
BT
3/2
a) Show that the number of bosons with energy above the ground state is Nex = 2.612 h2

2
 h2
 N
2/3
b) Show that Bose temperature is TB = 2πmkB 2.612V

21) Draw the phase diagram of 4 He.

a) Show clearly the three phases i.e. solid, gas and two liquid phases (Helium I and Helium II).
b) Mention any striking property of liquid helium below λ point.
22) Using Wein’s displacement law estimate the temperature of Sirius star which has λmax = 240nm and appears blue
white.

23) With regard to Einsten’s theory of heat capacity for solids;

a) State two assumptions made by Einstein to explain the theory of heat capacity of solids.
b) State the partition function Z for a harmonic oscillator model of heat capacity.
c) Show that average energy per oscillator may be written as ε̄ = kB T 2 d ln(Z)
dT .
θE


θE 2

exp T
d) Show that the heat capacity at constant volume is given by CV = 3N kB T θE


2 .
/ exp T −1

e) Show that Dulong-Petit law is recovered for temperature regimes. That is, for high temperatures we get
CV = 3N kB .
´
h υm υ 3 dυ

24) Show that the Debye’s total energy for an assembly of N phonons is given by E = 9N
υ3 0 hυ
, where υm
m exp kB T −1
is the Debye’s cut-off frequency.
25) Define Gibbs Paradox, how this paradox is resolved. Show that entropy increases, usingnMB classical distribution,

3/2 o 3N k
by ST − Si = 2N kB ln (2). (Given for MB distribution i.e. Classical Entropy S = N kB ln V 2πmk
h2
BT
+ 2 B ).

26) For an assembly in a canonical ensemble, the probability that an assembly will be in a state i is given by pi =
  hP  i−1
gi exp − kE
B
i
T i gi exp − k
Ei
B T .

4E √1 .
a) Derive the relative energy fluctuation hEi ∝ N
b) Show that in the thermodynamic limit, canonical and microcanonical ensembles coincide.
27) Express entropy S in terms of total possible number of microstates W .
a) How much is the entropy at T = 0K for a classical assembly?
h2 3N 2/3


28) Show that the Fermi energy at T = 0K is given by, εF = 2m 8πV .

29) Calculate εF (0) (in eV ) for silver. For silver ρ = 10.5g/cm3 and Wt = 108g/mol.
30) Calculate the Fermi energy in electron volt for sodium assuming that it has one free electron per atom. (Given:
density of Sodium ρ = 0.97g/cm3 and atomic weight for sodium is 23).
31) What is Schottky Anomaly,
−1 −1
a) Show that n0 = N [1 + exp (−4E/kB T )] , n1 = N [1 + exp (4E/kB T )]
b) Plot n0 and n1 as a function of temperature on the same graph.
c) Discuss the physical limits (at high and low temperatures) of Shottky Anomally.

32) If Helmholtz free energy is given by F = −N kB ln (Z), show that Entropy is S = N kB ln (Z) + N kB T ∂ ln(Z)
∂T , where
Z is the partition function.

33) Using the spin 1/2 Ising model in an applied magnetic field H with energy, E = − J2 i,j Si Sj − H i Si show that
P P

in the mean field approximation the magnetization is m = tanh (|β| Hef f ), where Hef f = J2 z hSi + H and z is the
coordination number (counts number of nearest neighbours).