DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MADRAS

PH508 Statistical Physics Assignment 3 27.02.2007 (due: 06.03.2007)

1. Consider a classical system of N noninteracting diatomic molecules enclosed

in a box of volume V at temperature T . The Hamiltonian for a single
molecule is taken to be
1 1
H(p1 , p2 , r1 , r2 ) = (p21 + p22 ) + K|r1 − r2 |2 ,
2m 2
where p1 , p2 , r1 , r2 are the momenta and coordinates of the two atoms in a
molecule. Find the partition function of the system. [Huang, Problem 8.2].

2. Consider a system of N noninteracting, freely orientable, magnetic dipoles,

each having a magnetic moment ~µ , in the presence of an external magnetic
~ The partition function of the system is given by
field H.
 N
sinh(βµH)
Q = 4π .
(βµH)

Find out the expressions for the Helmholtz free energy, entropy, average
energy, specific heat at constant H and specific heat at constant M (where
M is the average magnetic moment along the direction of the external
magnetic field).

3. For small x, the Brillouin function BJ (x) can be expressed as

∞
X (n)
BJ (x) = CJ xn .
n=1

(n)
Find out the coefficients CJ for n = 2, 3, 4 and 5.

4. The magnetic equation of state, in the mean field approximation, is given

by
  
λM
M = N µ tanh βµ H + .
N

Show that, as T → Tc , the susceptibility diverges like (T − Tc )−1 .