Why Is Each Quantum Oscillator's Energy Approximated as kT at Low Temperatures?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
1 reply · 2K views
aaaa202
Messages
1,144
Reaction score
2
Just one short question about something I didn't understand in my book: "At low temperaturs only vibration modes where hω<kT will be excited to any appreciable extent. The excitation of these modes will be approimately classical each with an energy close to kT."
I don't understand the last sentence. What is meant by a classical exciation? The energy of the modes will be (n+½)hω for which there is a probability distribution - on this ground how can you say that the energy of each excitation is approx kT?
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Discussion

What is meant that ##\langle E \rangle_T-\langle E \rangle_0\approx kT##