The Planck quantum hypothesis

Density of states.

Without demonstration: how many different states of the em field do exist in the
volume dV and in the spectral domain dω ? This is the spectral density of states

2
g ( )  (1)
 2c3
In computations this value has to be multiplied by the volume V (if the waves are
homogeneous, otherwise we have to multiply by dV and integrate over the volume) and by dω
to get the total number of states (for em waves states are called modes)

2
G( )d  Vg ( )d  V d (1’)
 2c3

Analogous quantities exist for:

- the number of states in the volume dV and in the spectral domain dω but for
elastic waves:
 2  1 2 
g ( )   (2)
2 2  v L3 vT3 
with vL and vT the longitudinal and transversal velocities of elastic waves

- the number of states in the volume dV and in the spectral domain dk for em waves

2
g (k )dk  k d2k (3)
2

- the number of states in the volume dV and in the spectral domain dλ for em waves

g ( )d  44 d (4)



- the number of states in the volume dV and with momenta between p and p+dp
for the de Broglie or the Schrödinger waves

g ( p)dp  43 p 2 dp (5)

h
Here h  2  6.6  10 34 Js is the Planck constant.
 Task: compute the spectral density of energy in the black-body radiation
uω(, T) or uω T  . To do this, we multiply the spectral density of modes with the mean
energy of a mode:

2
u T   2 3 E (6)
 c
Classical result based on the equipartition theorem (Rayleigh-Jeans result):

2 k T
uclass T    2 B (76)
 c
2 3 2

The factor 2 appears for the two independent polarizations of em waves.

Quantum result computed by Planck (the first quantum result, 1900):

2 
u T   (8)
 c
2 3   
exp   1
 k BT 

Comparison btw classical and quantum results.

Problem. a) What is the frequency of the maximum for the quantum curve ?
b) What is the constant from Wien’s law deduced from the result from a) ?
c) Compute the frequency for which the classical result disagrees from the
quantum one with 5%. What is the corresponding wavelength ? Hint: you
should use u (T )d  u (T )d and   2c  .
 Planck’s results at two temperatures. T=6000 K is close to the temperature at the
surface of the Sun. What are the values of the frequencies for the two maxima ?

Demonstration of the Planck formula (7)

The Rayleigh-Jeans relation (6) is obtained using an integral, upon the assumption that
the energy varies continuously. Planck assumed the energy vary in portions called quanta.
The energy may be emitted or absorbed only multiples of an energy equal with  : energy
may have only the values  n  n .
Let’s compute the average energy. In general the mean value of a quantity is a sum or
an integral, computed as follows (see (11)from Boltzmann):

E   EG ( E )( E )dE
allvalues
(9)

or, for the Boltzmann discrete distribution

E  
all n
n Pn (10)

where Pn is the probability to have energy  n . Taking into account the normalization

condition (10)from Boltzmann, computation goes as follows, with x  :
k BT


    1 
k B T  nx exp[ nx]  k BT x  exp[nx]   
x n 1 x  1  exp[  x] 
E  n 1

 

1  exp[  x]
 exp[ nx]
n 1
 exp[nx]
n 1
Eventually we get:

e-x  
E    x  (11)
1 e -x
e 1 
exp[ ] 1
k BT
which, introduced in (6), gives (8).