A2.2 B2.1
(i) A number of non-interacting particles move in one dimension in a potential . Write down the Hamiltonian and Hamilton's equations for one particle.
At time , the number density of particles in phase space is . Write down the time derivative of along a particle's trajectory. By equating the rate of change of the number of particles in a fixed domain in phase space to the flux into across its boundary, deduce that is a constant along any particle's trajectory.
(ii) Suppose that , and particles are injected in such a manner that the phase space density is a constant at any point of phase space corresponding to a particle energy being smaller than and zero elsewhere. How many particles are present?
Suppose now that the potential is very slowly altered to the square well form
Show that the greatest particle energy is now