Qualifying Examination Mechanics and Statistical Mechanics October 1, 2012

Instructions: Work three of the four mechanics problems (1-4), and three of the four statistical mechanics problems (5-8). Please mark clearly which problems shall be graded. 1. A thin rod of uniform mass density and weight W rests upon two points at each end. One of these points is suddenly removed. What is the force on the other point immediately after this removal when the angular displacement, , is very small?

2. Three particles, two of mass m and one of mass M , are conned to move on a horizontal circle of constant radius r and are connected by identical springs lying on the circle, each of spring constant k and unstretched length a. The springs are of equal length b when the system is at rest. Consider in the following motions that stretch the springs only by a small amount from b. Assume perfect springs and neglect friction. (a) Write down the equations of motion. (b) Find the normal coordinates and normal frequencies of the system for the case M = m. (c) For the phase space and Hamiltonian associated with this problem, consider a generic dynamic variable of interest, f (. . . ), which is not explicitly time dependent. Discuss how you would obtain the time evolution of f (. . . ) in terms of Poisson Brackets.

3. Two particles of equal mass, m, are constrained to move without friction on the surface of a sphere. The radius of the sphere is a known function of time, i.e., R(t) is given. Between the two particles the Newtonian force of gravity is active. (a) Describe the conguration manifold, Q. Explain the nature of the constraints. (b) Derive the Lagrangian, L, and Hamiltionian, H . Derive the canonical equations of motion. (Hint: Treat the potential energy as a generic function of appropriate variables, but dont express it in its full glory.) (c) Discuss any applicable conservation laws. (d) State the dimensionality of the associated phase space. (e) Give an explicit expression for the symplectic matrix of this system. 4. Show that the production of a positron-electron pair by a photon e+ + e requires the presence of a nucleus of mass M and compute the minimum energy of the photon as a function of the involved masses. Positron and electron masses m are equal. 5. (a) A few minutes after the Big Bang, the universe consisted of trace amounts of nucleons (protons and neutrons) coupled to a reservoir of photons, neutrinos, and electron-positron pairs. At temperatures above 1010 K, the neutron-to-proton ratio of this primordial soup is held in equilibrium via bi-directional charged current weak interactions interconverting protons (rest mass 938.6 MeV) and neutrons (rest mass 939.6 MeV); thus, the nucleons can be thought of as a 2-state system. As the Universe cooled to 1010 K (kT 1 MeV), these reactions zzled out and the equilibrium n-to-p ratio at this temperature was frozen/locked in and is essentially todays cosmic value. From statistical mechanical principles, estimate this n-to-p ratio. (b) Consider a 6-spin paramagnet system where an individual spin up leads to a contribution to total system energy of B and an individual spin down leads to a contribution to a total system energy of +B . The system begins in a state with no applied B eld. A magnetic eld is applied and the system ends in a state with Etot = 4B . What is the change in (Gibbs) entropy?The system begins in an initial state with no applied B eld. 6. Calculate the entropy of mixing for a system of two monatomic ideal gases, A and B , whose relative proportion, x, is arbitrary. Let N be the total number of molecules and let x be the fraction of these that are of species B . Assume that the species, which have the same mass m and thermal energy U , are initially segregated in volume V . Then the partition is removed and the particles mix. Use the entropy for an ideal

gas (Sackur-Tetrode equation) S = N k ln V N 4 mU 3N h 2 3/2 5 + 2

7. Consider a cyclic heat engine (Rankine), where water at low pressure (1) is pumped to high pressure (2), then ows into a boiler, where heat is added at constant pressure and the water turns to steam (3). The steam hits a turbine, where it expands adiabatically, cools, and ends up at the original pressure (4). Finally the partially condensed uid (water + steam) is cooled further in a condenser. (a) Draw a P V diagram indicating the cycle including points (1) through (4), and the approximate phase boundaries for water and steam. (b) Dene an eciency e and explain how to calculate it with appropriate approximations (Hint: Enthalpy.) 8. Consider a molecule that is best described by a rigid, massless, ideal spring (Hookes law, constant k ) that connects two identical point particles (mass m). The molecule vibrates with very small amplitude, and rotates freely in space. Consider more of such molecules, conned in a box of Volume, V , in thermal equilibrium with a heat bath at temperature, T . Calculate the specic heat, Cp , as a function of temperature, for regimes in which the molecules (a) move freely, but rotational-vibrational states are not excited, and (b) when vibrations and rotations are successively accessible.