Brief standard answers

Written exam in FY550

Tuesday the 22th of June 2021

Problem 1

a) From Eq. (20.1) in 2xBlundell we have

   
X
−βEα β∆ −β∆ ∆ 2 ∆
Z= e =e +1+1+e = 2+2 cosh = 4 cosh
α
kB T 2kB T

b) By Eq. (20.9) we have

 
∂ ln Z sinh(β∆/2) ∆ ∆
U =− = −2 = −∆ tanh
∂β cosh(β∆/2) 2 2kB T

c) The heat capacity can by definition be found as

∂U ∆2
C= =
∂T 2kB T 2 cosh2 [∆/(2kB T )]

d) Using that F = −kB T ln Z [Eq. (20.14)] we find from F = U − ST

[Eq. (16.15)]
    
U −F ∆ ∆ ∆
S= = − tanh + 2kB ln 2 cosh
T T 2kB T 2kB T

Notice also that this problem is equivalent to combining two identical but
independent two-level systems each with possible energies ±∆/2. The
two states with zero energy then corresponds to the two possibilities
for the two subsystems to be in opposite states. Thus the answers can
be obtained quickly from Example 20.3, i.e., Z is the square of the
one in Eq. (20.23), and the answers to questions b-d are twice the
corresponding values given in Example 20.3.

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Problem 2
a) The force with which it would like to contract is also called the tension.
By Eq. (17.9) it can be found as
 
∂F kB T L
f= =
∂L T N a2

b) A Maxwell relation is obtained by switching the order of two derivatives

of a thermodynamic potential. A way to include this in the calculation
is:
∂ 2F ∂ 2F
   
∂S ∂f kB L
=− =− =− =−
∂L T ∂L∂T ∂T ∂L ∂T L N a2

c) For the entropy we have that S = −(∂F/∂T )L = −F/T . From this we

find U = F + T S = F − F = 0, which is what we should show. That
the internal energy is identical to zero means that the system is entirely
governed by entropy, i.e., the contracting force is entirely entropic in
nature.

Problem 3
a) From Eq. (30.27) we have
2/3
h̄2 6π 2 n

EF = ≈ 4.2 × 10−23 J
2m 2S + 1
where we used that the spin S = 3/2, mass m = 6.6 × 10−27 kg, density
n = 2.4 × 1028 m−3 and h̄ = 1.05 × 10−34 m2 kg/s.
b) From the equations above Eq. (30.32) we have U/V = 3nEF /5. Com-
bining with Eqs. (22.49) and (30.17) we find
2U 2nEF
p= = ≈ 4.0 × 105 Pa
3V 5

c) From Eq. (30.53) we have the critical temperature

2/3
2πh̄2

n
Tc = ≈ 1.6 K
kB m 2.612(2S + 1)
Since the temperature T = 1.0 K is below Tc , we have from Eq. (30.59)
that the fraction in the ground state is
 3/2
n0 T
=1− ≈ 51%
n Tc

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Problem 4

a) According to Eq. (22.15): µ = pkB T ln(nλ3th ) where n = N/V and

according to Eq. (21.18): λth = h/(2πmkB T ). The change to first
order in the tiny ∆T is
   
∂µ 3 3
∆µ ≈ ∆T = kB ln(nλth ) − ∆T
∂T N,V 2

b) The site can be in two states, one with N1 = 0 particles and energy
E1 = 0, and a second with N2 = 1 and energy E2 = −∆E. From Eq.
(22.19) we have that the probability that a molecule is bound is

eβ(µN2 −E2 ) eβ(µ+∆E) 1

P2 = = =
Z 1 + eβ(µ+∆E) 1 + e−β(µ+∆E)
where we have used that, by Eq. (22.20), the grand partition function
is X
Z= eβ(µNi −Ei ) = 1 + eβ(µ+∆E)
i

The end