- #1
Hellabyte
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Hey so I'm just looking through a thermal physics textbook at a quick derivation of the Boltzmann distribution.
It says to consider a small 2 state system with states of energies E=0 and E= [tex] \epsilon[/tex] .This system is connected to a resivor of energy [tex]U_0[/tex] when the small system is in the 0 energy state. When the system is in the [tex] \epsilon[/tex] energy state the energy of the reservoir has energy [tex]U_0 - \epsilon[/tex]. if the number of states available to the reservoir is denoted by g, then the numbers of states available to the reservoir will be [tex]g(U_0)[/tex] and [tex]g(U_0 - \epsilon)[/tex] respectively.
The part i don't understand is the next step. He makes an argument by 'the fundamental assumption", which states that"quantum states are either accessible or inaccessible to the system, and the system is equally likely to be in one accessible state as in another." He says that the ratio probability of the system being in the E=[tex] \epsilon[/tex] state to the probability of the state being in the E=0 will be
[tex] \frac{P(\epsilon )}{P(0)} = \frac{g(U_0 - \epsilon)}{g(U_0)} [/tex]
I am struggling to see how one can come to this conclusion. Any help? does the fundamental assumption have a hidden meaning that the probability of being in an energy state is proportional to the states accessible in that energy? That is what this relationship implies i would think. But i can't see why this would be true. Thanks.
Also, I don't know what is wrong with my epsilons but they aren't supposed to superscripts like that.
It says to consider a small 2 state system with states of energies E=0 and E= [tex] \epsilon[/tex] .This system is connected to a resivor of energy [tex]U_0[/tex] when the small system is in the 0 energy state. When the system is in the [tex] \epsilon[/tex] energy state the energy of the reservoir has energy [tex]U_0 - \epsilon[/tex]. if the number of states available to the reservoir is denoted by g, then the numbers of states available to the reservoir will be [tex]g(U_0)[/tex] and [tex]g(U_0 - \epsilon)[/tex] respectively.
The part i don't understand is the next step. He makes an argument by 'the fundamental assumption", which states that"quantum states are either accessible or inaccessible to the system, and the system is equally likely to be in one accessible state as in another." He says that the ratio probability of the system being in the E=[tex] \epsilon[/tex] state to the probability of the state being in the E=0 will be
[tex] \frac{P(\epsilon )}{P(0)} = \frac{g(U_0 - \epsilon)}{g(U_0)} [/tex]
I am struggling to see how one can come to this conclusion. Any help? does the fundamental assumption have a hidden meaning that the probability of being in an energy state is proportional to the states accessible in that energy? That is what this relationship implies i would think. But i can't see why this would be true. Thanks.
Also, I don't know what is wrong with my epsilons but they aren't supposed to superscripts like that.