/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Q. 7.21 An atomic nucleus can be crudely... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ

An atomic nucleus can be crudely modeled as a gas of nucleons with a number density of 0.18fm-3(where 1fm=10-15m). Because nucleons come in two different types (protons and neutrons), each with spin 1/2, each spatial wavefunction can hold four nucleons. Calculate the Fermi energy of this system, in MeV. Also calculate the Fermi temperature, and comment on the result.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The Fermi energy of the system is40.2MeV.

The Fermi temperature of the system is4.6632×1011K.

One would need lot of energy to excite those nucleons.

Step by step solution

01

Step 1. Given Information

We are given that the number density of gas of nucleons is 0.18fm-3.

We have to find the fermi energy of given system and the Fermi temperature.

02

Step 2. Atomic nucleous

An atomic nucleus can be modeled as a gas of nucleons with number density,

NV=0.18fm-3

Since the nucleons are fourfold degenerate, then the total number of occupied states will be,

N=4×(Volume of eigth-sphere)=41843πnmax3=23πnmax3

Rearranging the equation for nmax, we get

3N2Ï€=nmax3nmax=3N2Ï€13

03

Step 3. Finding the fermi energy of the system

The fermi energy of the system is given by,

εF=h2nmax28mL2

Putting nmax=3N2Ï€13, we get

εF=h28mL23N2π23=h28mL3233N2π23=h28m32π·NV23

04

Step 4. Finding the fermi energy of the system

The mass of nucleon is,

m=1gNA

Here, NAis Avogadro's number.

Substituting 6.023×1023atoms/mol, we get

m=(1g)(1kg/1000g)6.023×1023=1.6603×10-27kg

The number density of nucleons in the gas is 0.18fm-3. Converting number density from fm to m-3.

NV=0.18fm-310-15mfm-3=0.18×1045m-3

Substituting the values, we get

localid="1647858933038" εF=6.625×10-34J·s281.6603×10-27kg32π230.18×1045m-32/3=6.4355×10-12J1eV1.6×10-19J=4.0223×107eV1MeV106eV=40.2MeV

Hence, the Fermi energy of the system is40.2MeV.

05

Step 5. Finding the fermi temperature

The Fermi temperature of the system is given by,

TF=EFkB

Putting εF=4.0223×107eVand

kB=8.617×10-5eV/K, we get

TF=4.0223×107eV8.617×10-5eV/K=4.6632×1011K

Hence, the Fermi temperature of the system is4.6632×1011Kand lot of energy is required to excite those nucleons.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Suppose you have a "box" in which each particle may occupy any of 10single-particle states. For simplicity, assume that each of these states has energy zero.

(a) What is the partition function of this system if the box contains only one particle?

(b) What is the partition function of this system if the box contains two distinguishable particles?

(c) What is the partition function if the box contains two identical bosons?

(d) What is the partition function if the box contains two identical fermions?

(e) What would be the partition function of this system according to equation 7.16?

(f) What is the probability of finding both particles in the same single particle state, for the three cases of distinguishable particles, identical bosom, and identical fermions?

Consider a system consisting of a single impurity atom/ion in a semiconductor. Suppose that the impurity atom has one "extra" electron compared to the neighboring atoms, as would a phosphorus atom occupying a lattice site in a silicon crystal. The extra electron is then easily removed, leaving behind a positively charged ion. The ionized electron is called a conduction electron because it is free to move through the material; the impurity atom is called a donor, because it can "donate" a conduction electron. This system is analogous to the hydrogen atom considered in the previous two problems except that the ionization energy is much less, mainly due to the screening of the ionic charge by the dielectric behavior of the medium.

(a) Write down a formula for the probability of a single donor atom being ionized. Do not neglect the fact that the electron, if present, can have two independent spin states. Express your formula in terms of the temperature, the ionization energy I, and the chemical potential of the "gas" of ionized electrons.

(b) Assuming that the conduction electrons behave like an ordinary ideal gas (with two spin states per particle), write their chemical potential in terms of the number of conduction electrons per unit volume,NcV.

(c) Now assume that every conduction electron comes from an ionized donor atom. In this case the number of conduction electrons is equal to the number of donors that are ionized. Use this condition to derive a quadratic equation for Ncin terms of the number of donor atoms Nd, eliminatingµ. Solve for Ncusing the quadratic formula. (Hint: It's helpful to introduce some abbreviations for dimensionless quantities. Tryx=NcNd,t=kTland so on.)

(d) For phosphorus in silicon, the ionization energy is localid="1650039340485" 0.044eV. Suppose that there are 1017patoms per cubic centimeter. Using these numbers, calculate and plot the fraction of ionized donors as a function of temperature. Discuss the results.

In a real hemoglobin molecule, the tendency of oxygen to bind to a heme site increases as the other three heme sites become occupied. To model this effect in a simple way, imagine that a hemoglobin molecule has just two sites, either or both of which can be occupied. This system has four possible states (with only oxygen present). Take the energy of the unoccupied state to be zero, the energies of the two singly occupied states to be -0.55eV, and the energy of the doubly occupied state to be -1.3eV(so the change in energy upon binding the second oxygen is -0.75eV). As in the previous problem, calculate and plot the fraction of occupied sites as a function of the effective partial pressure of oxygen. Compare to the graph from the previous problem (for independent sites). Can you think of why this behavior is preferable for the function of hemoglobin?

A white dwarf star (see Figure 7.12) is essentially a degenerate electron gas, with a bunch of nuclei mixed in to balance the charge and to provide the gravitational attraction that holds the star together. In this problem you will derive a relation between the mass and the radius of a white dwarf star, modeling the star as a uniform-density sphere. White dwarf stars tend to be extremely hot by our standards; nevertheless, it is an excellent approximation in this problem to set T=0.

(a) Use dimensional analysis to argue that the gravitational potential energy of a uniform-density sphere (mass M, radius R) must equal

Ugrav=-(constant)GM2R

where (constant) is some numerical constant. Be sure to explain the minus sign. The constant turns out to equal 3/5; you can derive it by calculating the (negative) work needed to assemble the sphere, shell by shell, from the inside out.

(b) Assuming that the star contains one proton and one neutron for each electron, and that the electrons are nonrelativistic, show that the total (kinetic) energy of the degenerate electrons equals

Ukinetic=(0.0086)h2M53memp53R2

Figure 7.12. The double star system Sirius A and B. Sirius A (greatly overexposed in the photo) is the brightest star in our night sky. Its companion, Sirius B, is hotter but very faint, indicating that it must be extremely small-a white dwarf. From the orbital motion of the pair we know that Sirius B has about the same mass as our sun. (UCO /Lick Observatory photo.)

( c) The equilibrium radius of the white dwarf is that which minimizes the total energy Ugravity+Ukinetic· Sketch the total energy as a function of R, and find a formula for the equilibrium radius in terms of the mass. As the mass increases, does the radius increase or decrease? Does this make sense?

( d) Evaluate the equilibrium radius for M=2×1030kg, the mass of the sun. Also evaluate the density. How does the density compare to that of water?

( e) Calculate the Fermi energy and the Fermi temperature, for the case considered in part (d). Discuss whether the approximation T = 0 is valid.

(f) Suppose instead that the electrons in the white dwarf star are highly relativistic. Using the result of the previous problem, show that the total kinetic energy of the electrons is now proportional to 1 / R instead of 1R2• Argue that there is no stable equilibrium radius for such a star.

(g) The transition from the nonrelativistic regime to the ultra relativistic regime occurs approximately where the average kinetic energy of an electron is equal to its rest energy, mc2Is the nonrelativistic approximation valid for a one-solar-mass white dwarf? Above what mass would you expect a white dwarf to become relativistic and hence unstable?

Suppose that the concentration of infrared-absorbing gases in earth's atmosphere were to double, effectively creating a second "blanket" to warm the surface. Estimate the equilibrium surface temperature of the earth that would result from this catastrophe. (Hint: First show that the lower atmospheric blanket is warmer than the upper one by a factor of 21/4. The surface is warmer than the lower blanket by a smaller factor.)

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.