Hydrogen atom at finitine temperature

[Gavroy]

hi

i asked myself, is it correct to use the ordinary partition function and cut it off at some value to describe the atom at some finite temperature? or is there a better way to do this calculation?

and if i evaluate the partition function for let me say n=2. does this mean, that the probability of finding the atom in the states 2s, 2px, 2py, 2pz is the same for each state or are there any differences?

 

[Dickfore]

How is this classical physics?

 

[Gavroy]

well it is both: quantum mechanics and thermodynamics.

but i guess, the last one is the dominant part here...

 

[Dickfore]

Partition functions are not introduced in Thermodynamics.

 

[sardar]

I would say that it is not appropriate to use the ordinary partition function and cut it off at some value to describe the hydrogen atom at finite temperature. This is because the ordinary partition function assumes that the energy levels are continuous, which is not the case for the hydrogen atom. Instead, a more accurate approach would be to use the discrete partition function, which takes into account the discrete energy levels of the hydrogen atom.

When evaluating the partition function for a specific energy level, such as n=2, it is important to note that the probability of finding the atom in each state (2s, 2px, 2py, 2pz) is not necessarily the same. This is because each state has a different energy and therefore a different probability of being occupied at a given temperature. It is important to consider the energy levels and their corresponding probabilities when studying the behavior of the hydrogen atom at finite temperature.