Microcanonical ensembles

Nonetheless, the ergodic hypothesis has logical, physical underpinnings. If one does not accept the ergodic hypothesis, one is faced with logical inconsistencies in the physical description of matter. Importantly, the adoption of the ergodic hypothesis results in a correct prediction of thermodynamic quantities of matter. This is the ultimate test for any hypothesis or theory. 

It is the ergodic hypothesis that allowed Gibbs to shift attention from trajectories to probabihties in phase space. Instead of considering orbits of microstate chains crossing the phase space in time, one can envision the phase space as a continuum with a position-dependent density. Because the latter can be determined more readily than the former, statistical thermodynamics can be employed to connect microscopic to macroscopic states. 

We can now introduce a new important property, called the partition function of the ensemble, which is generally defined as 

The partition function gives a measure of the number of members in the ensemble that give rise to any specific macroscopic thermodynamic state. Besides the probability distribution and the probability in phase space, equilibrium ensembles can also be described with the help of the 

Consider an ensemble of systems, each with constant number of particles N, in constant volume V, with constant energy E. This is called the NVE or microcanonical ensemble. Each member system of this ensemble corresponds to a point X = (p, in the 61V-dimensional phase space F. 

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The microcanonical ensemble is a set of systems each having the same number of molecules N, the same volume V and the same energy U. In such an ensemble of isolated systems, any allowed quantum state is equally probable. In classical thennodynamics at equilibrium at constant n (or equivalently, N), V, and U, it is the entropy S that is a maximum. For the microcanonical ensemble, the entropy is directly related to the number of allowed quantum states C1(N,V,U) ... 

An explicit example of an equilibrium ensemble is the microcanonical ensemble, which describes closed systems with adiabatic walls. Such systems have constraints of fixed N, V and E < W< E + E. E is very small compared to E, and corresponds to the assumed very weak interaction of the isolated system with the surroundings. E has to be chosen such that it is larger than (Si )... 

The microcanonical ensemble is a certain model for the repetition of experiments in every repetition, the system has exactly the same energy, Wand F but otherwise there is no experimental control over its microstate. Because the microcanonical ensemble distribution depends only on the total energy, which is a constant of motion, it is time independent and mean values calculated with it are also time independent. This is as it should be for an equilibrium system. Besides the ensemble average value (il), another coimnonly used average is the most probable value, which is the value of tS(p, q) that is possessed by the largest number of systems in the ensemble. The ensemble average and the most probable value are nearly equal if the mean square fluctuation is small, i.e. if... 

In the last subsection, the microcanonical ensemble was fomuilated as an ensemble from which the equilibrium, properties of a dynamical system can be detennined by its energy alone. We used the postulate of... 

For a microcanonical ensemble, p = [F( )] for each of the allowed F( ) microstates. Thns for an isolated system in eqnilibrinm, represented by a microcanonical ensemble. 

The definition of entropy and the identification of temperature made in the last subsection provides us with a coimection between the microcanonical ensemble and themiodynamics. 

For practical calculations, the microcanonical ensemble is not as useful as other ensembles corresponding to more connnonly occurring experimental situations. Such equilibrium ensembles are considered next. 

RRKM theory assumes a microcanonical ensemble of A vibrational/rotational states within the energy interval E E + dE, so that each of these states is populated statistically with an equal probability [4]. This assumption of a microcanonical distribution means that the unimolecular rate constant for A only depends on energy, and not on the maimer in which A is energized. If N(0) is the number of A molecules excited at / =... 

The rapid IVR assumption of RRKM theory means that a microcanonical ensemble is maintained as the A molecnles decompose so that, at any time t, k(E) is given by... 

Figure A3,12.2(a) illnstrates the lifetime distribution of RRKM theory and shows random transitions among all states at some energy high enongh for eventual reaction (toward the right). In reality, transitions between quantum states (though coupled) are not equally probable some are more likely than others. Therefore, transitions between states mnst be snfficiently rapid and disorderly for the RRKM assumption to be mimicked, as qualitatively depicted in figure A3.12.2(b). The situation depicted in these figures, where a microcanonical ensemble exists at t = 0 and rapid IVR maintains its existence during the decomposition, is called intrinsic RRKM behaviour [9].

The bulk of the infomiation about anhannonicity has come from classical mechanical calculations. As described above, the aidiannonic RRKM rate constant for an analytic potential energy fiinction may be detemiined from either equation (A3.12.4) [13] or equation (A3.12.24) [46] by sampling a microcanonical ensemble. This rate constant and the one calculated from the hamionic frequencies for the analytic potential give the aidiannonic correctiony j ( , J) in equation (A3.12.41). The transition state s aidiannonic classical sum of states is found from the phase space integral... 

In the above discussion it was assumed that the barriers are low for transitions between the different confonnations of the fluxional molecule, as depicted in figure A3.12.5 and therefore the transitions occur on a timescale much shorter than the RRKM lifetime. This is the rapid IVR assumption of RRKM theory discussed in section A3.12.2. Accordingly, an initial microcanonical ensemble over all the confonnations decays exponentially. However, for some fluxional molecules, transitions between the different confonnations may be slower than the RRKM rate, giving rise to bottlenecks in the unimolecular dissociation [4, ]. The ensuing lifetime distribution, equation (A3.12.7), will be non-exponential, as is the case for intrinsic non-RRKM dynamics, for an mitial microcanonical ensemble of molecular states. 

The first classical trajectory study of iinimoleciilar decomposition and intramolecular motion for realistic anhannonic molecular Hamiltonians was perfonned by Bunker [12,13], Both intrinsic RRKM and non-RRKM dynamics was observed in these studies. Since this pioneering work, there have been numerous additional studies [9,k7,30,M,M, ai d from which two distinct types of intramolecular motion, chaotic and quasiperiodic [14], have been identified. Both are depicted in figure A3,12,7. Chaotic vibrational motion is not regular as predicted by tire nonnal-mode model and, instead, there is energy transfer between the modes. If all the modes of the molecule participate in the chaotic motion and energy flow is sufficiently rapid, an initial microcanonical ensemble is maintained as the molecule dissociates and RRKM behaviour is observed [9], For non-random excitation initial apparent non-RRKM behaviour is observed, but at longer times a microcanonical ensemble of states is fonned and the probability of decomposition becomes that of RRKM theory. 

If all the resonance states which fomi a microcanonical ensemble have random i, and are thus intrinsically unassignable, a situation arises which is caWtA. statistical state-specific behaviour [95]. Since the wavefunction coefficients of the i / are Gaussian random variables when projected onto (]). basis fiinctions for any zero-order representation [96], the distribution of the state-specific rate constants will be as statistical as possible. If these within the energy interval E E+ AE fomi a conthuious distribution, Levine [97] has argued that the probability of a particular k is given by the Porter-Thomas [98] distribution... 

A microcanonical ensemble of isolated resonances decays according to... 

Apparent non-RRKM behaviour occurs when the molecule is excited non-randomly and there is an initial non-RRKM decomposition before IVR fomis a microcanonical ensemble (see section A3.12.2). Reaction patliways, which have non-competitive RRKM rates, may be promoted in this way. Classical trajectory simulations were used in early studies of apparent non-RRKM dynamics [113.114]. 

As discussed in section A3.12.2. intrinsic non-RRKM behaviour occurs when there is at least one bottleneck for transitions between the reactant molecule s vibrational states, so drat IVR is slow and a microcanonical ensemble over the reactant s phase space is not maintained during the unimolecular reaction. The above discussion of mode-specific decomposition illustrates that there are unimolecular reactions which are intrinsically non-RRKM. Many van der Waals molecules behave in this maimer [4,82]. For example, in an initial microcanonical ensemble for the ( 211 )2 van der Waals molecule both the C2H4—C2H4 intennolecular modes and C2H4 intramolecular modes are excited with equal probabilities. However, this microcanonical ensemble is not maintained as the dimer dissociates. States with energy in the intermolecular modes react more rapidly than do those with the C2H4 intramolecular modes excited [85]. 

Figure A3.13.9. Probability density of a microcanonical distribution of the CH cliromophore in CHF within the multiplet with cliromophore quantum nmnber V= 6 (A. g = V+ 1 = 7). Representations in configuration space of stretching and bending (Q coordinates (see text following (equation (A3.13.62)1 and figure A3.13.10). Left-hand side typical member of the microcanonical ensemble of the multiplet with V= 6...

In the microcanonical ensemble, the signature of a first-order phase transition is the appearance of a van der Waals loop m the equation of state, now written as T(E) or P( ). The P( ) curve switches over from one... 

This section deals with the question of how to approximate the essential features of the flow for given energy E. Recall that the flow conserves energy, i.e., it maps the energy surface Pq E) = x e P H x) = E onto itself. In the language of statistical physics, we want to approximate the microcanonical ensemble. However, even for a symplectic discretization, the discrete flow / = (i/i ) does not conserve energy exactly, but only on... 

When g = 1 the extensivity of the entropy can be used to derive the Boltzmann entropy equation 5 = fc In W in the microcanonical ensemble. When g 1, it is the odd property that the generalization of the entropy Sq is not extensive that leads to the peculiar form of the probability distribution. The non-extensivity of Sq has led to speculation that Tsallis statistics may be applicable to gravitational systems where interaction length scales comparable to the system size violate the assumptions underlying Gibbs-Boltzmann statistics. [4]... 

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