Homework Sheet No.

Issued 8 May 2023 and due 24 May 2013 (Please note: 6 problems on 2 pages)

1. (a) Show that the isothermal compressibility T and the adiabatic compressibility S of an
1 g1/2 ( z ) 1 g3/2 ( z )
ideal Bose gas are given by T = , S = , where n (= N/V) is the
nkT g3/2 ( z ) 5nkT g5/2 ( z )
particle density in the gas. Note that, as z →0, T and S approach their respective classical
values, namely 1/P amd 1/P. How do they behave as z →1?

 P   V   P 
2

(b) Making use of the thermodynamic relations CP − CV = T     = TV T  

 T V  T  P  T V
and CP / CV = T /  S , derive equations (7.1.48a) and (7.1.48b).
(Textbook, p. 224, Problem 7.5).

2. (a) Consider an ideal Bose gas confined to a region of area A in two dimensions. Express
the number of particles in the excited states, Ne, and the number of particles in the ground
state, N0, in terms of z, T, and A, and show that the system does not exhibit Bose-Einstein
condensation unless T→ 0K. (b) Refine your argument to show that, if the area A and the
total number of particles N are held fixed and we require both Ne and N0 to be of order N,
h2 1
then we do achieve condensation when T ~ 2
where l[~(A/N)] is the mean
mkl ln N
interparticle distance in the system. Of course, if both A and N→, keeping l fixed, then the
desired T does go to zero.
(Textbook, p. 225-226, Problem 7.13; K. Huang’s book, p. 303, Problem 12.6).

3. Consider an n-dimensional Bose gas whose single-particle energy spectrum is given by

  ps , where s is some positive number. Discuss the onset of Bose-Einstein condensation in
this system, especially its dependence on the numbers n and s. Study the thermodynamic
behavior of this system and show that,
sU n n
P= , CV (T → ) = Nk , and CP (T → ) = ( + 1) Nk.
nV s s
(Textbook, p. 226, Problem 7.14).

4. At time t = 0, a collection of classical particles is in equilibrium at temperature T in

three-dimensional harmonic oscillator potential V (r) = (1/ 2)m02 | r |2 . At t = 0, the

harmonic potential is abruptly removed. Use the momentum distribution at t = 0 to

determine the spatial density at time t > 0. Show that this is equivalent to the high
temperature limit of equation (7.2.15).
(Textbook, p. 226, Problem 7.16).

5. (a) Show that the entropy per photon in blackbody radiation is independent of the
 
temperature, and in d spatial dimensions is given by s = k (d + 1)( n− d −1 ) / ( n− d ) .
n =1 n =1

(b) Show that the answer would have been k(d + 1) if the photons obeyed Boltzmann
statistics.
(see, K. Huang’s book, p. 302, Problem 12.1. Note that in Huang’s textbook, Boltzmann
constant k is assumed to be 1.)

6. The (canonical) partition function of the blackbody radiation may be written as


Q(V , T ) =  Q1 (, T ), so that ln Q(V , T ) =  ln Q1 (, T )   ln Q1 (, T ) g ()d; here,
  0

Q1(,T) is the single-oscillator partition function given by equation (3.8.14) and g() is the
density of states given by equation (7.3.2). Using this information, evaluate the Helmholtz
free energy of the system and derive other thermodynamic properties such as the pressure P
and the (thermal) energy density U/V. Compare your results with the ones derived in Section
7.3 from q-potential of the system.
(Textbook, p.226, Problem 7.20).

7. (a) Assuming the dispersion relation  = Aks, where  is the angular frequency and k the
wave number of a vibrational mode existing in a solid, show that the respective contribution
toward the specific heat of the solid at low temperatures is proportional to T3/s. [Note that
while s = 1 corresponds to the case of elastic waves in a lattice, s = 2 applies to spin waves
propagating in a ferromagnetic system.]
(b) Assuming the excitations to be phonons ( = Ak), show that their contribution toward the
specific heat of an n-dimensional Debye system is proportional to Tn.
(Textbook, p. 228, Problems 7.33 and 7.34).