How many microstates are defined to exist at absolute zero for a perfect crystal?
1 Answer
Jun 6, 2017
The third law of thermodynamics states that in that case, the absolute entropy becomes zero for a perfect crystal:
#S = 0# at#T = "0 K"# .
Statistically, from Boltzmann's theorem,
#S = 0 implies ln W = 0# where
#W# is the number of microstates occupied.
Thus,
However, quantum fluctuations make it difficult that such a state becomes localised because the fluctuations occurring are non-negligible compared to the energy available.
This has an important implication - absolute zero is difficult to maintain.
