Thermodynamic Limit of the Free Electron Gas on a Circle
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We show that for the ground state of a one-dimensional free electron gas on a circle the analytic expression for the canonical ensemble partition function can be easily derived from the density matrix by assuming that the thermodynamic limit coincides with the limit of the eigenfunction expansion of the kinetic energy. This approximation fails to give the finite temperature partition function because those two limits cannot be chosen as coincident.
Source: The Physics Educator
Author: Riccardo Fantoni
Institution: University of Trieste
Language: English
Subfield: Mathematical Physics
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4402323403