Paper 1, Section II, E

Statistical Physics
Part II, 2014

Write down the equation of state and the internal energy of a monatomic ideal gas.

Describe the meaning of an adiabatic process. Derive the equation for an adiabatic process in the pressure-volume (P,V)(P, V) plane for a monatomic ideal gas.

Briefly describe the Carnot cycle. Sketch the Carnot cycle in the (P,V)(P, V) plane and in the temperature entropy (T,S)(T, S) plane.

The Diesel cycle is an idealised version of the process realised in the Diesel engine. It consists of the following four reversible steps:

Sketch the Diesel cycle for a monatomic gas in the (P,V)(P, V) plane and the (T,S)(T, S) plane. Determine the equations for the curves BCB \rightarrow C and DAD \rightarrow A in the (T,S)(T, S) plane.

The efficiency η\eta of the cycle is defined as

η=1Qout Qin \eta=1-\frac{Q_{\text {out }}}{Q_{\text {in }}}

where Qin Q_{\text {in }} is the heat entering the gas in step BCB \rightarrow C and Qout Q_{\text {out }} is the heat leaving the gas in step DAD \rightarrow A. Calculate η\eta as a function of the temperatures at points A,B,CA, B, C and DD.