PH-102 (Modern Physics)

(Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac Statistics

and applications) Tutorial –2

1 For an ideal gas of classical non-interacting atoms in thermal equilibrium, the

Cartesian components of the velocity of are statistically independent. In
three dimensions, the probability density distribution for the velocity is

 vx2 + v y2 + vz2 
P ( vx ,v y ,vz ) = ( 2πσ )
2 −3/2
exp − 
 2σ 2
 

kT 1
Where σ = . The energy of a given atom is E = m v .
2 2

m 2
Find and sketch the probability density distribution for the energy of an atom
in (i) three dimension, (ii) two dimension and (iii) one dimension.

2 consider a particle undergoing simple harmonic motion, x = x0sin(ωt+Φ),

where the phase Φ is completely unknown. The amount of time this particle
spends between x and x+dx is inversely proportional to the magnitude of its
velocity at x. if one thinks in terms of large number of similarly prepared
oscillators, one comes to conclusion that the probability density for finding an
oscillator at x, P(x) is proportional to the time a given oscillation spends near
x.

(a) Find the speed of x as a function of x, ω and the fixed maximum

displacement x0.

(b) Find P(x) and sketch. Try to compare this classical result with the result
for a quantum harmonic oscillator in an energy eigen-state with a high value
of the quantum number ‘n’ and the same total energy.

(c ) Classically, what are the most probable values of x? What is the least
probable? What is the mean?

3 Given a gas of particles with a Maxwellian distribution for velocity:

(a) What is the most probable velocity?

(b) What is the average velocity?

(c ) What is the root-mean-square speed?

(d) What is the most probable speed?

(e) What is the average speed?

(f) What is the average energy of a particle?

4. Consider the Maxwellian distribution for the molecules in the atmosphere at

the temperature T.
 (a) What is the ratio of the number of molecules at the earth’s surface to the
number at the height ‘h’?

(b) What is the ratio of the density of the gas at the height h to the density at
the surface?

5. Three identical particles with total energy 6ε are distributed among four
energy levels with energies, ε, 2ε, 3ε and 4ε of which the second level has a
degeneracy of 4. What are the possible distributions if the particles are (i)
distinguishable, (ii) bosons and (iii) fermions? Which is the most probable
distribution in each case?

6. A system has three energy states with energies ε1, ε2 and ε3 with respective
degeneracies of 2,4 and 8. In how many ways a distribution of six fermions
can be obtained, where 1 particle has energy ε1, 2 particles have energy ε2
and 3 particles have energy ε3 (call it 1,2,3). Is this distribution more
probable than (1,3,2). What are the ratios of the probability?

7. Consider a system of 5 fermions (spin ½) occupying the energy levels of ‘a

particle in a three dimensional cubic box’.

h2
(i) Show that the minimum energy (E0) of the system is 24C, where C = .
8mL2
(ii) Find the energy of the next three excited states of the system, say E 1, E2
and E3 in units of C.

(iii) Find the number of macrostates corresponding to E1 and E3.

(iv) Find the number of microstates for each macrostates obtained in part
(iii).

8. Consider a gas of seven fermions (spin degeneracy =2), each of which can
occupy a state of energy nε (n= 0,1,2,….).

(a) What is the minimum total energy of the gas?

(b) What is the Fermi energy of this gas when the total energy is a minimum?

(c ) What is the minimum average energy?

(d) Suppose the energy is E = 13ε, identify the possible states of the systems
and calculate the ‘discrete distribution function’ for this gas- that is,
determine average number of fermions.

∑ n( ) W i
s
s
ni = s

∑W s
s

Where Ws is the number of microstates in the macrostates s and ni( ) is the

s

number of fermions in the energy level Ei for that macrostates ‘s’. Plot ni
 vs. Ei. From the graphs, can we comment on the Fermi energy and how does
the answer compare with (b) part of this problem?

9. Derive the Plank’s radiation assuming

(i) The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for electromagnetic radiation carrying

discrete amount of energy nhv (n=0,1,2,…).

(ii) The Bose-Einstein statistics for the photons.

10. Calculate the electronic contribution to the specific heat of tungsten. Let εF =
9 eV and T = 3000K.

11. Prove that the specific heat per molecule is given by cv =

1
kT 2( )2
ε 2 − ε , where

ε , ε 2 is the average energy and mean square energy, respectively, of a

molecule.

12 Consider a cubical box of sides L. what is the lowest energy of a system

consisting of 10 free particles in this box if the particles obey (a) Fermi-Dirac
statisitics, (b) Bose-Einstein statistics. (consider the spin degeneracy of the
particles).

13 A collection of non-interacting bosons is kept at a temperature T. When the

temperature is 0.4k, a fraction 26/27 of the total number of particles is in the
ground state. If the temperature is increased to 0.9 K, what fraction of
particles will be in the ground state?

14 Prove that for a system obeying Fermi-Dirac statistics the probability that a
level lying ∆E below the Fermi level is not occupied is same as the probability
that a level above the Fermi level is occupied.

15 Consider a system of non-interacting fermions at temperature T =0.

Calculate the average energy of each particle in terms of the Fermi energy E F
of the system.

16 Assume that the nucleons in a nucleus obey Fermi-Dirac statistics. Find the
Fermi energy and the average energy of the protons or neutrons in the
nucleus of a calcium atom, which contains 20 protons and 20 neutrons and
has a radius of 4.1x10-15 m. Are these values reasonable?

17 Show that the kinetic energy of a three dimensional gas of N free electrons at
0K is (3/5)NεF.

18 Using the data given and any other constants, evaluate the Fermi energy of
the alkali metals.

Li Na K Rb Cs
Density 0.534 0.97 0.869 1.53 1.870
(g/cc) 1 0
Atomic 6.939 22.9 39.10 85.4 132.90
Weight 9 2 7 5
19 Show that the fraction of electrons within kT of the Fermi energy is 1.5 kT/εF,
under the assumption that the temperature is so low that the probability of
occupancy of levels is not altered from the one at oK. Calculate numerically
the value of this fraction for copper at (εF = 7.04 eV) 300 K and 1360 K
(approximate melting point of Cu). This fraction is of interest because it is a
rough measure of the percentage of electrons excited to higher energy states
at a temperature T. Find roughly the electronic contribution to specific heat
of Cu using this expression.

20 (a) Using the Fermi-Dirac statistics, find the probability that a state is
occupied if its energy is higher than εF by 0.1 kT, 1.0 kT, 2.0 kT and 10.0 kT,
where εF is the Fermi energy. How good is the approximation of neglecting 1
in the denominator for energy equal to 10kT.

(b) In the Fermi-Dirac distribution substitute ε = ε F + δ . Compute δ for the

probability of occupancy equal to 0.25 and 0.75.

21 In certain quantum mechanical system the x component of the angular

momentum, Lx is quantized and can take on only the three values –ħ, 0 or ħ.
1 2
For a given state of the system it is given that Lx = h and L2x = h2 . Find
3 3
the probability density of the x component of the angular momentum, P(Lx)
for the given values of Lx.

22 A copper wire of cross – sectional area 3.3 x 10-6 m2 is carrying a current of

25 A. One meter length of this wire has a resistance of 5.8 x 10 -3 Ω.
Calculate the conductivity, average drift velocity of the electrons, electron
mobility and mean free path of the electrons in Drude and Sommerfield
models.

23 For sodium the conductivity at 300K is 2.17 x 107 Ω-1m-1 and the effective
mass of the electron is 1.2 times the mass of the free electron. Calculate the
relaxation time and the mean free path. Calculate the drift velocity of the
electrons in an electric field of 100 V/m. (density of Na = 970 km/m 3, Atomic
weight 23).

24 The Fermi energy for Cu is 7.04 eV. Calculate the velocity and de Broglie
wavelength of electrons at the Fermi energy of Cu. Can these electrons be
diffracted by a crystal?

25 Assuming that Silver is a monovalent metal obeying Somerfield model,

calculate the following quantities (a) Fermi energy and Fermi temperature (b)
radius of Fermi sphere, (c ) Fermi velocity (d) the average energy of free
electrons at 0K, (e) the temperature at which the average molecular energy
in the ideal gas will have the same value as the average energy of free
electrons at 0K, (f) the speed of electron with this energy, (g) mean free path
of electrons at room temperature and near absolute zero., (h) the ratio of
Fermi Velocity to drift velocity at room temperature in a field of 1 V/cm.
 {density of Ag : 10.5 g/cc, Atomic wt.: 107.87 gm/mol,
Resistivity of Ag at 295 K: 1.61 x 10-6 Ω-cm and at 20 K : 3.8 x 10-9 Ω-cm}.

26 Consider a gas of electrons (mass m) confined to a dimensional square box of

size a. find an expression of density of state and Fermi energy at 0K.

27 Find an expression of density of state for free electrons confined within a

distance L in one dimension.