Physics Category C

Final Round
Exam Date : 23 January 2021, Saturday
Exam Timing : 09:30 IST to 12:30 IST
 Rules and Regulations
Marking Scheme
1. The question paper contains 3 questions.
2. Each question is worth 20 points.
3. All questions are compulsory.

Miscellaneous
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 Questions
1. Black hole thermodynamics (2 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 2) The goal of this problem is to explore some
interesting properties of Black Holes. The following equation was obtained by L. Smarr in 1973:
 
2 1 4π 1 4 1
M = A+ 2
J + Q + Q2
16π A 4 2

where M , J, Q and A are the mass, angular momentum, charge and area of the event horizon of a
black hole.
To make contact with thermodynamics we write for the entropy of the Black Hole,
1
S = kB A
4
where kB is the Boltzmann constant.
(a) Work in natural units G = ~ = c = 1 and show that the equation for the entropy is dimensionally
correct.
(b) Take kB = 1/8π (by choosing units) and derive an expression for S(M, J, Q). Is this expression
unique? (Hint: What is the entropy of the Schwarzschild Black Hole which corresponds to
J = Q = 0?)
(c) We suppose the mass-energy M (since c = 1) plays the role of internal energy. Show that T, Ω, Φ
defined via,
dM = T dS + ΩdJ + ΦdQ
are given by,
1 1
J 2 + 41 Q4


T = M 1− 16S 2
J
Ω = 8M
h S 2i
Q
Φ = 2M 1+ Q
8S .

This is the analog of the first law of thermodynamics.

(d) Look at the expression for M (S, J, Q) closely and derive the analog of the Gibbs-Duhem Relation
familiar from Thermodynamics.
(e) Show that,
1 1
S → M 2 − Q2
4 8
as T → 0. What does this say about the third law of thermodynamics? Give reasons to support
your answer.
(f) An alternative statement to the third law is that ”it is impossible to reach absolute-zero in a
finite number of steps”. What can we conclude from part (e)?
2. Little Mario and the Cylindrical Beam (4 + 16) Little Mario wishes to jump over a very long
(practically infinite) cylindrical beam of radius r whose axis is at a height h from the ground. With
what minimum initial speed must he launch himself if:
(a) Mario is allowed to touch the beam (neglect frictional effects)?
(b) Mario is not allowed to touch the beam?
Approximate Little Mario by a point particle for convenience. Acceleration due to gravity is g.

3. Classical Probability Distribution for Quantum States? (2 + 6 + 6 + 6) The goal of this

problem is to try and mimic a Statistical Mechanics approach to Quantum Mechanics. In Classi-
cal Statistical Mechanics one has the usual Gibbs-Boltzmann Formula which gives the probability
distribution in phase-space to be:

ρ(x1 , . . . , xn , p1 , . . . , pn ) ∼ exp(−βH(x1 , . . . , xn , p1 , . . . , pn ))

where H is the Hamiltonian of the system.

(a) Why can’t we demand a similar probability distribution over phase-space in Quantum Mechanics?
If the wave function ψ(x1 , . . . , xn ) is given, we construct the following expression:

P (x1 , . . . , xn , p1 , . . . , pn )
 n Z ∞ Z ∞
1
= ··· dy1 . . . dyn ψ ∗ (x1 + y1 , . . . , xn + yn )
π~ −∞ −∞
 
2i
× ψ(x1 − y1 , . . . , xn − yn ) exp (p1 y1 + · · · + pn yn )
~

(b) Show that, Z ∞ Z ∞

··· dp1 . . . dpn P (x1 , . . . , xn , p1 , . . . , pn ) = |ψ(x1 , . . . , xn )|2
−∞ −∞
which are the correct probabilities for the co-ordinates.
(c) Show that,
Z ∞ Z ∞  2
··· dx1 . . . dxn P (x1 , . . . , xn , p1 , . . . , pn ) = ψ̃(p1 , . . . , pn )
 
−∞ −∞

which are the correct probabilities for the momenta where,

Z ∞ Z ∞  
i
ψ̃(p1 , . . . , pn ) = ··· dx1 . . . dxn ψ(x1 , . . . , xn ) exp − (x1 p1 + · · · + xn pn )
−∞ −∞ ~

is the Fourier transform of the wave-function ψ(x1 , . . . , xn ).

(d) The function P defined above therefore seems to be a good candidate for a probability distribution
in Quantum Mechanics. Would this not contradict part (a)? Give reasons to support your answer.

All the best!