Thermodynamics of the harmonic oscillator using coherent states

The ongoing discussion whether thermodynamic properties can be extracted from a (possibly approximate) quantum mechanical time evolution using time averages is fed with an instructive example. It is shown for the harmonic oscillator how the Hilbert space or an appropriately defined phase space must be populated in terms of coherent states in order to obtain the quantum result respectively the classical one.Comment: 6 pages, 2 postscript figures, uses 'epsfig.sty'. Submitted to Europhysics Letters. Introduction changed and references added for the revised version. More information available at http://obelix.physik.uni-osnabrueck.de/~schnack

Magnetic response of magnetic molecules with non-collinear local d-tensors

Investigations of molecular magnets are driven both by prospective applications in future storage technology or quantum computing as well as by fundamental questions. Nowadays numerical simulation techniques and computer capabilities make it possible to investigate spin Hamiltonians with realistic arrangements of local anisotropy tensors. In this contribution I will discuss the magnetic response of a small spin system with special emphasis on non-collinear alignments of the local anisotropy axes.Comment: 8 pages, 18 figures, accepted for a special issue of Condensed Matter Physics (CMP), typos correcte

Unexpected properties of the first excited state of non-bipartite Heisenberg spin rings

Systematic properties of the first excited state are presented for various ring sizes and spin quantum numbers which are only partly covered by the theorem of Lieb, Schultz and Mattis. For odd ring sizes the first excited energy eigenvalue shows unexpected degeneracy and related shift quantum numbers. As a byproduct the ground state energy as well as the energy of the first excited state of infinite chains are calculated by extrapolating the properties of only a few, finite, antiferromagnetically coupled Heisenberg rings using the powerful Levin sequence acceleration method.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, uses 'epsfig.sty'. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Molecular dynamics investigations on a quantum system in a thermostat

The model quantum system of fermions in a one dimensional harmonic oscillator potential is investigated by a molecular dynamics method at constant temperature. Although in quantum mechanics the equipartition theorem cannot be used like in the Nose-Hoover-thermostat it is possible to couple an additional degree of freedom to the system which acts as a thermometer and drives the system towards the desired temperature via complex time steps.Comment: 11 pages, 8 postscript figures, uses 'epsfig.sty'. Submitted to PHYSICA A. More information available at http://obelix.physik.uni-osnabrueck.de/~schnac

Van Der Waals Revisited

The van-der-Waals version of the second virial coefficient is not far from being exact if the model parameters are appropriately chosen. It is shown how the van-der-Waals resemblance originates from the interplay of thermal averaging and superposition of scattering phase shift contributions. The derivation of the two parameters from the quantum virial coefficient reveals a fermion-boson symmetry in non-ideal quantum gases. Numerical details are worked out for the Helium quantum gases.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, accepted for publication in Physica