Grand canonical ensemble

The grand-canonical ensemble is particularly well suited to simulation studies of adsorption.

Ensemble variables

• Chemical potential, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. \mu \right. }
• Volume, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. V \right. }
• Temperature, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. T \right. }

Grand canonical partition function

The classical grand canonical partition function for a one-component system in a three-dimensional space is given by:

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Q_{\mu VT} = \sum_{N=0}^{\infty} \frac{ \exp \left[ \beta \mu N \right] V^N}{N! \Lambda^{3N} } \int d (R^*)^{3N} \exp \left[ - \beta U \left( V, (R^*)^{3N} \right) \right] }

where:

• N is the number of particles
• Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. \Lambda \right. } is the de Broglie thermal wavelength (which depends on the temperature)
• Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \beta = \frac{1}{k_B T} } , with Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle k_B } being the Boltzmann constant
• U is the potential energy, which depends on the coordinates of the particles (and on the interaction model)
• Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left( R^*\right)^{3N} } represent the Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle 3N} position coordinates of the particles (reduced with the system size): i.e. Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \int d (R^*)^{3N} = 1 }

Helmholtz energy and partition function

The corresponding thermodynamic potential, the grand potential, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \Omega} , for the aforementioned grand canonical partition function is:

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \Omega = \left. A - \mu N \right. } ,

where A is the Helmholtz energy function. Using the relation

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left.U\right.=TS -PV + \mu N}

one arrives at

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. \Omega \right.= -PV}

i.e.:

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \left. p V = k_B T \log Q_{\mu V T } \right. }

See also

• Monte Carlo in the grand-canonical ensemble

References

1. Richard C. Tolman "On the Establishment of Grand Canonical Distributions", Physical Review 57 pp. 1160-1168 (1940)