PHY 140A: Solid State Physics

Solution to Homework #5
Xun Jia1 November 16, 2006

1 Email:

jiaxun@physics.ucla.edu

Fall 2006

Physics 140A

c Xun Jia (November 16, 2006)

Problem #1
Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of a metal. The electrical resistivity of a metal is proportional to the probability that an electron is scattered by the vibrating atoms in the lattice, and this probability is in turn proportional to the mean square amplitude of vibration of these atoms. How does the electrical resistivity of the metal depend on its absolute temperature in the range near room temperature, or above, where classical statistical mechanics can validly be applied to discuss the vibrations of the atoms in the metal?

Solution: As indicated by the problem, the electrical resistivity of a metal is proportional to the probability p that an electron is scattered by the vibrating atoms in the lattice, and this probability p is proportional to the mean square amplitude of vibration of these atoms A2 . Since A2 is proportional to the average of potential energy Ep , which is proportional to T due to equipartition theorem. Thus, the the electrical resistivity is proportional to T .

Problem #2
Specic heat of anharmonic oscillators. Consider a one-dimensional oscillator (not simple harmonic) which is described by a position coordinate x and by a mop2 mentum p and whose energy is given by = + bx4 , where the rst term on the 2m right is its kinetic energy and th second term is its potential energy. Here m denotes the mass of the oscillator and b is some constant. Suppose that this oscillator is in thermal equilibrium with a heat reservoir at a temperature T high enough so that the approximation of classical mechanics is a good one. (Hint: there is no need to evaluate explicitly any integral to answer these questions.) (a). What is the mean kinetic energy of this oscillator? (b). What is its mean potential energy? (c). What is its mean total energy? (d). Consider an assembly of weakly interacting particles, each vibrating in one dimension so that its energy is given as above. What is the specic heart at constant volume per mole of these particles? Solution: 1 (a). The mean kinetic energy of this oscillator is Ek = kT due to equipartition 2 theorem.

Fall 2006

Physics 140A

c Xun Jia (November 16, 2006)

(b). From Boltzmann statistics, the mean potential energy is:

+

dpdx bx4 e[ 2m +bx dpdx e[ 2m +bx

p2 4]

p2

4]

dx bx4 ebx dx ebx4

Ep =

4 dx ebx

dx ebx4 1/4 x t= ln 1/4 1 1 = = kT 4 4

= ln

4 dx ebx

4 dt ebt =

1 ln + ln 4

4 dt ebt

(1) Another way of evaluating this is to use integral by parts to calculating the integral directly:

dx bx4 ebx

Ep =

dx ebx4 1 x ebx4 = 4 dx ebx4

1 4

1 1 4 = kT dx ebx = 4 4

(2)

(c). Thus the mean total energy is: 3 E = Ek + Ep = kT 4 (3)

(d). For the weakly interacting particles, the internal energy per mole is just the sum of each particles, i.e.: 3 3 U = NA E = kNA T = RT 4 4 (4)

where NA is the Avogadro constant. Thus the specic heat at constant volume per mole is: U 3 cV = = R (5) T V 4 2

Fall 2006

Physics 140A

c Xun Jia (November 16, 2006)

Remark: A general equipartition theorem states that: in thermal equilibrium, the 1 mean value of each term in the energy proportional to 2n is equal to kT , where 2n could be any independent variable, for example, momentum p or coordinate x. This is not hard to proof. Note here the exponent is 2n, which ensures the energy is bounded from below, as it should be in any physical context.

Problem #3
Specic heat of a highly anisotropic solid. Consider a solid which has a highly anisotropic crystalline layer structure. Each atom in this structure can be regarded as performing simple harmonic oscillations in three dimensions. The restoring forces in directions parallel to a layer are very large; hence the natural frequencies of oscillations in the x and y direction lying within the plane of a layer are both equal to a value which is so large that h 300k, the thermal energy kT at room temperature. On the other hand, the restoring force perpendicular to a layer is quite small; hence the frequency of oscillation of an atom in the z direction perpendicular to a layer is so small that h 300k. On the basis of this model, what is the molar specic heat (at constant volume) of this solid at 300K?

Solution: Since h 300k, at room temperature T = 300K, the thermal uctuation is not high enough to excite the degrees of freedom within the plane, i.e. the degrees of freedom associating with h is frozen. On the other hand, 300k h , the solid atom can only move along the direction perpendicular to the plane. Hence, from equipartition theorem, the average kinetic and potential energy per 1 atom are both kT , and then the average total energy is kT , which therefore gives a 2 specic heat per atom of cV = k, or equivalently, cV = kNA = R is the molar specic heat.

Problem #4
Kittel 5.1 Singularity in the density of states.(Ashcroft and Mermin 23.3, essentially the same problem, explains that this is called a van Hove singularity.) (a) From the dispersion relation derived in Chapter 4 for a monatomic linear lattice of N atoms with nearest-neighbor interactions, show that the density of modes is: D() = 1 2N 2 (m 2 )1/2

where m is the maximum frequency. (b) Suppose that an optical phonon branch has the form (K) = 0 AK 2 , near K = 0 in three dimensions, Show that D() = (L/2)3 (2/A3/2 )(0 )1/2 for < 0 and D() = 0 for > 0 . Here the 3

Fall 2006

Physics 140A

c Xun Jia (November 16, 2006)

density of modes is discontinuous.

Solution: (a). A general expression of D() in d dimension lattice is (a generation of Eqn. (35) in Kittel): d L D()d = dd K (6) 2 shell where the shell refers to a region in K space bounded by two surfaces on which the phonon frequency are and + d. In 1-D, the shell is just composed by two points, and hence shell dd K = |2dK|. Therefore, from above equation: D() = L dK d 2 2 )1/2 (7)

From the dispersion relation of a monatomic linear chain, we have: 1 1 dK = = d d a m cos dK 2 =

1 Ka 2 2 a(m

(8)

thus, from above equations, note that N = L/a, it follows that: D() = 1 2N 2 (m 2 )1/2 (9)

(b). For the optical branch in 3-D case, (K) = 0 AK 2 . Now the shell is indeed a spherical shell with thickness of dK and a surface area of 4K 2 , thus d 2 shell d K = |4K dK|. Therefore from (6), we have: D() = From the dispersion relation: 1 1 1 dK = = = 1/2 ( )1/2 d | 2AK| 2A 0 d dK thus, we obtain the density of states: D() = L 2
3

L 2

4K 2

dK d

(10)

(11)

2 A3/2

(0 )1/2

(12)

However, this expression is only correct for < 0 . From the dispersion relation (K) = 0 AK 2 , there is no K states such that > 0 , then D() = 0 when > 0 . Therefore, there is a discontinuity at = 0 . 4

Fall 2006

Physics 140A

c Xun Jia (November 16, 2006)

Problem #5
Kittel 5.4 Heat capacity of a layer lattice in the Debye approximation (a) Consider a dielectric crystal made up of layers of atoms, with rigid coupling between layers so that the motion of the atoms is restricted to the plane of the layer. Show that the phonon heat capacity in the Debye approximation in the low temperature limit is proportional to T 2 . (b) Suppose instead, as in many layer structures, that adjacent layers are very weakly bound to each other. What form would you expect the phonon heat capacity to approach at extremely low temperature?

Solution: (a). For Debye model in this 2-D system, the density of states can be obtained from the dispersion relation = cK: D() = L 2
2

2K

dK L2 = d 2c2 L2 2c2 h e
h kT

(13)

thus the internal energy is given by:

D

U=

d D() n() h =
0

k3T 3 = 2 h

L2 2c2

xD 0

x2 dx x e 1

(14)

where x = h/kT , and xD = hD /kT . In the low temperature limit, we can set xD , therefore: k3T 3 U= 2 h L2 2c2
0

x2 dx x e 1

(15)

since U T 3 , the heat capacity in the low temperature will be: CV = U T T2

V

(16)

(b). In this case, since the coupling in between layers are weaker than the coupling inside the layers, at extremely low temperatures, the degrees of freedom for the motion inside the layers will be frozen, and the motion of the atoms is restricted in the direction perpendicular to the layers. Therefore the system becomes 1-D. Follow a similar calculation as in part (a), we can nd the heat capacity for 1-D system in low temperature will be proportional to T . Remark: A general statement is: for a d dimensional system with a dispersion relation in the form = AK , the heat capacity of the system in low temperature limit will be proportional to T d/ . You can easily prove this statement in the way similar as in above. 5