4.3: Thermal Equilibrium
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Two Systems in Thermal Contact
Consider two systems in thermal contact, as depicted in Figure 4.3.1. The two subsystems #1 and #2 are free to exchange energy, but their respective volumes and particle numbers remain fixed. We assume the contact is made over a surface, and that the energy associated with that surface is negligible when compared with the bulk energies E∗1 and E∗2. Let the total energy be E=E∗1+E∗2. Then the density of states D(E) for the combined system is
D(E)=∫dE∗1D∗1(E∗1)D∗2(E−E∗1) .
The probability density for system #1 to have energy E∗1 is then
P∗1(E∗1)=D∗1(E∗1)D∗2(E−E∗1)D(E) .
Note that P∗1(E∗1) is normalized: ∫dE∗1P∗1(E∗1)=1. We now ask: what is the most probable value of E∗1? We find out by differentiating P∗1(E∗1) with respect to E∗1 and setting the result to zero. This requires
0=1P∗1(E∗1)dP∗1(E∗1)dE∗1=∂∂E∗1lnP∗1(E∗1)=∂∂E∗1lnD∗1(E∗1)+∂∂E∗1lnD∗2(E−E∗1) .
We conclude that the maximally likely partition of energy between systems #1 and #2 is realized when
∂S∗1∂E∗1=∂S∗2∂E∗2 .
This guarantees that
S(E,E∗1)=S∗1(E∗1)+S∗2(E−E∗1)
is a maximum with respect to the energy E∗1, at fixed total energy E.

The temperature T is defined as
1T=(∂S∂E)∗V,N ,
a result familiar from thermodynamics. The difference is now we have a more rigorous definition of the entropy. When the total entropy S is maximized, we have that T∗1=T∗2. Once again, two systems in thermal contact and can exchange energy will in equilibrium have equal temperatures.
According to Equations \ref{phinrel} and \ref{phiurel}, the entropies of nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic ideal gases in d space dimensions are given by
S∗NR=12NdkBln(EN)+NkBln(VN)+const.S∗UR=NdkBln(EN)+NkBln(VN)+const. .
Invoking Equation ???, we then have
E∗NR=12NdkBT,E∗UR=NdkBT .
We saw that the probability distribution P∗1(E∗1) is maximized when T∗1=T∗2, but how sharp is the peak in the distribution? Let us write E∗1=E∗1+ΔE∗1, where E∗1 is the solution to Equation ???. We then have
lnP∗1(E∗1+ΔE∗1)=lnP∗1(E∗1)+12kB∂2S∗1∂E21|†E∗1(ΔE∗1)2+12kB∂2S∗2∂E22|†E∗2(ΔE∗1)2+… ,
where E∗2=E−E∗1. We must now evaluate
∂2S∂E2=∂∂E(1T)=−1T2(∂T∂E)∗V,N=−1T2C∗V ,
where C∗V=(∂E/∂T)†V,N is the heat capacity. Thus,
P∗1=P∗1e−(ΔE∗1)2/2k∗BT2ˉC∗V ,
where
ˉC∗V=C∗V,1C∗V,2C∗V,1+C∗V,2 .
The distribution is therefore a Gaussian, and the fluctuations in ΔE∗1 can now be computed:
⟨(ΔE∗1)2⟩=kBT2ˉC∗V⟹(ΔE1)∗RMS=kBT√ˉC∗V/kB .
The individual heat capacities C∗V,1 and C∗V,2 scale with the volumes V∗1 and V∗2, respectively. If V∗2≫V∗1, then C∗V,2≫C∗V,1, in which case ˉC∗V≈C∗V,1. Therefore the RMS fluctuations in ΔE∗1 are proportional to the square root of the system size, whereas E∗1 itself is extensive. Thus, the ratio (ΔE1)∗RMS/E∗1∝V−1/2 scales as the inverse square root of the volume. The distribution P∗1(E∗1) is thus extremely sharp.
Thermal, mechanical and chemical equilibrium
We have dS|†V,N=1TdE , but in general S=S(E,V,N). Equivalently, we may write E=E(S,V,N). The full differential of E(S,V,N) is then dE=TdS−pdV+μdN, with T=(∂E∂S)∗V,N and p=−(∂E∂V)∗S,N and μ=(∂E∂N)∗S,V. As we shall discuss in more detail, p is the pressure and μ is the chemical potential. We may thus write the total differential dS as
dS=1TdE+pTdV−μTdN.
Employing the same reasoning as in the previous section, we conclude that entropy maximization for two systems in contact requires the following:
- If two systems can exchange energy, then T∗1=T∗2. This is thermal equilibrium.
- If two systems can exchange volume, then p∗1/T∗1=p∗2/T∗2. This is mechanical equilibrium.
- If two systems can exchange particle number, then μ∗1/T∗1=μ∗2/T∗2. This is chemical equilibrium.
Gibbs-Duhem Relation
The energy E(S,V,N) is an extensive function of extensive variables, it is homogeneous of degree one in its arguments. Therefore E(λS,λV,λN)=λE, and taking the derivative with respect to λ yields
E=S(∂E∂S)∗V,N+V(∂E∂V)∗S,N+N(∂E∂N)∗S,V=TS−pV+μN.
Taking the differential of each side, using the Leibniz rule on the RHS, and plugging in dE=TdS−pdV+μdN, we arrive at the Gibbs-Duhem relation5,
SdT−Vdp+Ndμ=0.
This, in turn, says that any one of the intensive quantities (T,p,μ) can be written as a function of the other two, in the case of a single component system.