For a gas of particles confined inside a two-dimensional box, the density of states is constant, independent of ε(see Problem 7.28). Investigate the behavior of a gas of noninteracting bosons in a two-dimensional box. You should find that the chemical potential remains significantly less than zero as long as T is significantly greater than zero, and hence that there is no abrupt condensation of particles into the ground state. Explain how you know that this is the case, and describe what does happen to this system as the temperature decreases. What property must ε have in order for there to be an abrupt Bose-Einstein condensation?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The given statement was proved right by finding the chemical potential less than zero

Step by step solution

01

Step 1. Given information

Number of atoms in 2-dimensional box =

N=0g(ε)1e(ε-μ)/kT-1dε

Here,

g(ε)=density of states,

k=Boltzmann constant,

T=temperature of the gas,

μ=chemical potential,

ε= energy of the particle in a two-dimensional box.

02

Step 2. Since the density of states is constant, the number of atoms in two-dimensional  box is

N=g01e(ε-μ)/kT-1dε

If we take μ=0

N=g01eϵ/kT-1dε

Let's take x=εkT

N=g01ex-1dε

As we know the value of

01ex-1dx=

Therefore the number of atoms =

N=g01ex-1dε

From the above result, it's clear that there's infinite number of atoms within the low-lying excited state when the chemical potential is zero. But the number of atoms is finite, So our assumption is not possible.

03

Step 3. The number of atoms in two dimensional box,

N=g01e(ε-μ)kT-1dε

=g01e-μ/kTeε/kT-1dε

The integral will not be divergent if e-μ/kT>1

Applying the natural logarithm and solving the chemical potential we get,

-μkT>ln(1)

μ<ln(1)kT

μ<0

Thus, the chemical potential is less than zero. Hence the given statement is proved.

04

Step 4.  Discussion on negative value of chemical potential

The chemical potential should be negative as a result of the integral is finite (or the chemical potential is a smaller amount than zero the least bit temperatures). So, the whole particles can settle into the ground-state energy at very-low temperatures. because the temperature of the system goes to zero, the particles endlessly move to the ground-state, with no abrupt transition.

To get abrupt transition, the integral for the number of atoms in the two-dimensional box must be convergent at its lower limit when μ=0. This condition will possible only when the value of the density of states g(ε) goes to zero as ε goes to zero.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Consider a system of five particles, inside a container where the allowed energy levels are nondegenerate and evenly spaced. For instance, the particles could be trapped in a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator potential. In this problem you will consider the allowed states for this system, depending on whether the particles are identical fermions, identical bosons, or distinguishable particles.

(a) Describe the ground state of this system, for each of these three cases.

(b) Suppose that the system has one unit of energy (above the ground state). Describe the allowed states of the system, for each of the three cases. How many possible system states are there in each case?

(c) Repeat part (b) for two units of energy and for three units of energy.

(d) Suppose that the temperature of this system is low, so that the total energy is low (though not necessarily zero). In what way will the behavior of the bosonic system differ from that of the system of distinguishable particles? Discuss.

Problem 7.67. In the first achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation with atomic hydrogen, a gas of approximately 2×1010atoms was trapped and cooled until its peak density was1.8×1014atoms/cm3. Calculate the condensation temperature for this system, and compare to the measured value of50μK.

An atomic nucleus can be crudely modeled as a gas of nucleons with a number density of 0.18fm-3(where 1fm=10-15m). Because nucleons come in two different types (protons and neutrons), each with spin 1/2, each spatial wavefunction can hold four nucleons. Calculate the Fermi energy of this system, in MeV. Also calculate the Fermi temperature, and comment on the result.

Consider a system consisting of a single impurity atom/ion in a semiconductor. Suppose that the impurity atom has one "extra" electron compared to the neighboring atoms, as would a phosphorus atom occupying a lattice site in a silicon crystal. The extra electron is then easily removed, leaving behind a positively charged ion. The ionized electron is called a conduction electron, because it is free to move through the material; the impurity atom is called a donor, because it can "donate" a conduction electron. This system is analogous to the hydrogen atom considered in the previous two problems except that the ionization energy is much less, mainly due to the screening of the ionic charge by the dielectric behavior of the medium.

Consider two single-particle states, A and B, in a system of fermions, where ϵA=μ-xand ϵB=μ+x; that is, level A lies below μ by the same amount that level B lies above μ. Prove that the probability of level B being occupied is the same as the probability of level A being unoccupied. In other words, the Fermi-Dirac distribution is "symmetrical" about the point where ϵ=μ.

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