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AEP 4320 Assignment 5

Statistical Thermodynamics (Cornell University)

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AEP/PHYS 4230 - STATISTICAL THERMODYNAMICS

Assignment #5 September 25, 2018

Due 5:00 PM October 2, 2018

(Submit via the AEP/Phys 4230 Homework slot close to Clark 244)

REMINDER: As previously announced, the first prelim for AEP/PHYS 4230 this semester
will be on Thursday evening, October 4, in PSB 120 (the lecture room for the course)
beginning at 7:30 PM. The exam time will be 90 minutes. The exam will cover the lecture
through that of Monday, Oct. 1, Assignments 1-5, and the assigned reading. A sheet of
important formulas will be provided at the exam, but this fact should not be overly relied
on when you study for the exam.

Reading:
Bowley and Sanchez, Chapter 5,6 (Chapter 6 will not be covered by the first prelim)
(Supplement/Alternative) Kittel and Kroemer: Chapter 2, pp.72-80, Reif Sections 7.1-7.8

1. The potential energy of a particle of mass m oscillating in one dimension in a potential well is
equal to Cx4, where x is the displacement of the particle from its equilibrium position and C is a
constant. The oscillator is in thermal equilibrium with a heat reservoir of absolute temperature T
that is high enough that the classical limit applies. What is the heat capacity of the particle?

2. Consider the simple RC circuit as shown below. Use the equipartition theorem to determine
1/2
the root mean squared (rms )value of the electrical charge Q 2 on the capacitor plate if the
circuit is at temperature T. If the plate separation is 100 nm, T = 300K, C = 1 femtofarad, and R =
l kΩ what is the rms electric field between the plates of the
capacitor?

3. A classical system of N (distinguishable) non-interacting particles each of mass m is placed in

a three-dimensional harmonic well potential:
x2 + y2 + z2
U (r) =
2V 2/3
(a) Find the partition function and the Helmholtz free energy.
(b) Treating V as an external parameter (macrovariable), find the thermodynamic force p
conjugate to this parameter, exerted by the system
(c) Find the equation of state and compare it to that of an ideal gas in a container with rigid walls.
(d) Find the entropy, internal energy, and total heat capacity at constant volume.

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4. Two distinguishable spin one-half particles at temperature T each ! having

! magnetic
! moment
! µ0
interact such that the energy of the two-particle system is U = U 0 ( S1 i S2 ) where S1 and S2 are
the spins of the particles which can be either (± 1/2) and U0 is a positive constant.

(a) What is the canonical partition function Z and Helmholtz free energy F for the two-particle
system in the absence of any magnetic field? Calculate the heat capacity.
(b) If a magnetic field H is applied to the two-particle system the energy of the system is
! ! ! !
U = − µ0 ( S1 + S2 ) i H + U 0 ( S1 i S2 )

∂F
Find the total magnetic moment M = − of this two-particle system.
∂H T

5. Consider a solid material in which some fraction f of the atoms may occupy one of two
possible atomic sites that are adjacent to each other. These two positions give rise to two energy
levels, one with energy ΔI and the other with energy - Δi . The suffix i is a label that denotes a
particular one of bi-stable atoms.
a. If all of these bi-stable atoms has the same possible set of energies ±Δ , calculate the
contribution of these atoms to the heat capacity of the solid.
b. If the solid is a “glass” then there is a spread in energies with values of Δi ranging uniformly
from zero to Δ0. What is then the temperature dependence of the heat capacity when Δ0 >> kΒT? (a
Cornell physicist used this unusual T dependence for a solid some years ago to establish the
presence of bi-stable atoms in glassy material at low temperature, where before the assumption
was that at low T, all the atoms would be fixed in place.)

6. The rotational motion of a diatomic molecule that is fixed in position is specified by two
angular variables θ ,ϕ and the corresponding canonical conjugate moment ρθ , ρϕ . Therefore,
the kinetic energy of the rotational motion can be written as:
ρ2 ρϕ2
ε rot = θ +
2I 2I sin 2 θ
where I is the moment of inertia of the molecule. Assume the diatomic molecule bas two
different constituent atoms, so that the molecule also has an electric dipole moment µ E .
!
A gas of N such molecules at temperature T is placed in a volume V and an electric field E = Ez
is applied to the gas.

What is the expression for the energy of an individual molecule? From this obtain the canonical
partition function for one molecule of this gas and its mean thermal energy. By properly
expanding this result obtain approximate expressions for the heat capacity per particle at high
and low temperature.

(Note: Keep enough terms in your expansion to show the approximate contribution of the electric
dipole moment to the heat capacity.)

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