PHY 418: Statistical Mechanics I
Prof. S. Teitel: stte@pas.rochester.edu ---- Spring 2022
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N fermions A of spin 1/2 (i.e. gs=2) are introduced into a large volume V at temperature T. Two fermions may combine to create one boson with spin 0 (i.e. gs=1) via the interaction,
A + A ↔ A2Creation of the molecule A2 costs energy εo > 0. At equilibrium, the system will contain NF fermions and NB bosons. Provide expressions from which the ratio NB/NF can be calculated, and perform the calculation explicitly for T=0. What would this (T=0) ratio be, if the particles were classical (i.e. quantum statistics could be neglected). Explain the difference.
Consider the Ising model. The magnitization density is m, and the magnetic field is h. The magnetic susceptibility is then defined by
χ = |
dm dh |
Derive an expression for χ in terms of the fluctuations in magnetization m. (Hint: recall, we had a similar expression for specific heat in terms of fluctuations in energy, and for compressibility in terms of fluctuations in volume.)
Show from this result that fluctuations in magnetization become negligible in the thermodynamic limit, except at a critical point.