High Temperature Limit: Equal Probability of Energy States Explained

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concept that in the high temperature limit, all energy states of a system in contact with a heat reservoir become equally probable. This phenomenon is illustrated through the example of an electron in a magnetic field. The mathematical relationship defining temperature as a Lagrange multiplier, specifically 1/T = ∂S/∂U, indicates that as temperature increases, the change in entropy with respect to average total energy diminishes, leading to a scenario where the probability distribution of energy states becomes uniform. This principle is rooted in the maximum entropy framework.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of statistical mechanics
  • Familiarity with the concept of entropy
  • Knowledge of Lagrange multipliers in thermodynamics
  • Basic principles of energy states in quantum mechanics
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the implications of the equiprobability of states in statistical mechanics
  • Study the relationship between temperature and entropy in detail
  • Investigate the maximum entropy principle in thermodynamic systems
  • Learn about the behavior of particles in magnetic fields and their energy states
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, thermodynamic researchers, students of statistical mechanics, and anyone interested in the foundational principles of energy distribution in high-temperature systems.

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Suppose you have a system with different energy states and assume that it is in contact with a heat resevoir (i.e. you know the average of the total of the system). In this case, no matter the system, it seems a general property that in the high temperature limit all energy states become equally probable. Today I saw the example of an electron in a magnetic field.
I must admit I don't have a lot of intuition for what temperature actually is. I can only see from the math that it is a Lagrange multiplier which has the property that 1/T = ∂S/∂U where U is the average total energy.
Now in the high temperature limit this says the change in entropy per change in average total energy is small. But how does this explain the equal probability of different energy states, and how is the equal probability in all explain using the ideas of maximum entropy?
 
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With a high energy, the entropy is large, but the entropy change with changing energy gets smaller. You have many states available anyway, some additional states don't change the entropy so much any more.
 

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