Show that when a system is in thermal and diffusive equilibrium with a reservoir, the average number of particles in the system is

N=kTZZμ

where the partial derivative is taken at fixed temperature and volume. Show also that the mean square number of particles is

N2¯=(kT)2Z2Zμ2

Use these results to show that the standard deviation of Nis

σN=kTN/μ,

in analogy with Problem6.18Finally, apply this formula to an ideal gas, to obtain a simple expression forσNin terms ofN¯Discuss your result briefly.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The simple expression forσN in terms ofN¯isσN=kTNμ.

Step by step solution

01

Given Information 

We have to given the average number of particles in the system isN=kTZZμ, the mean square number of particles is N2¯=(kT)2Z2Zμ2and the standard deviation of NisσN=kTN/μ.

02

Simplify

The grand partition function equals the sum over the Gibbs factors, that is:

Z=seEsμNs/kT

take the partial derivative of the partition function with respect to , so :

Zμ=1kTsNseEsμNs/kTsNseEsμNs/kT=kTZμ

dividing both sides by the grand partition function to get:

1ZsNseEsμNs/kT=kTZZμ

the LHS is just the average N, so:

localid="1650885600621" N=kTZZμ ...(1)

take the partial derivative again for the grand partition function with respect toμ, to get:

localid="1650885614351" 2Zμ2=1k2T2s(Ns)2eEsμNs/kTs(Ns)2eEsμNs/kT=k2T22Zμ2

03

Calculation

Dividing both sides by the grand partition function to get:

1Zs(Ns)2eEsμNs/kT=k2T2Z2Zμ2

the LHS is just the average N2, therefore:

localid="1650885704869" N2=k2T2Z2Zμ2 ...(2)

take the partial derivative for the average number of particles with respect to μto get:

localid="1650885695468" role="math" Nμ=μ1ZsNseEsμNs/kTNμ=1Z2ZμsNseEsμNs/kT+1ZkTs(Ns)2eEsμNs/kT

substitute from (1) and (2) to get:

Nμ=NkTN+N2kTNμ=N2kT+N2kTkTNμ=N2N2

the standard deviation is defined as:

σN2=N2N2

combine this equation with the previous one to get:

σN2=kTNμσN=kTNμ

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Most popular questions from this chapter

At the center of the sun, the temperature is approximately 107K and the concentration of electrons is approximately 1032 per cubic meter. Would it be (approximately) valid to treat these electrons as a "classical" ideal gas (using Boltzmann statistics), or as a degenerate Fermi gas (with T0 ), or neither?

Evaluate the integral in equation N=2π2πmh23/2V0ϵdϵeϵ/kT-1numerically, to confirm the value quoted in the text.

It's not obvious from Figure 7.19 how the Planck spectrum changes as a function of temperature. To examine the temperature dependence, make a quantitative plot of the functionu(ϵ) for T = 3000 K and T = 6000 K (both on the same graph). Label the horizontal axis in electron-volts.

Problem 7.69. If you have a computer system that can do numerical integrals, it's not particularly difficult to evaluate μforT>Tc.

(a) As usual when solving a problem on a computer, it's best to start by putting everything in terms of dimensionless variables. So define t=T/Tc,c=μ/kTc,andx=ϵ/kTc. Express the integral that defines , equation 7.22, in terms of these variables. You should obtain the equation

2.315=0xdxe(x-c)/t-1

(b) According to Figure

the correct value of cwhen T=2Tcis approximately -0.8. Plug in these values and check that the equation above is approximately satisfied.

(c) Now vary μ, holding Tfixed, to find the precise value of μfor T=2Tc. Repeat for values of T/Tcranging from 1.2up to 3.0, in increments of 0.2. Plot a graph of μas a function of temperature.

For a system of particles at room temperature, how large must ϵ-μbe before the Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, and Boltzmann distributions agree within 1%? Is this condition ever violated for the gases in our atmosphere? Explain.

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