Quantum and Relativistic corrections to Maxwell-Boltzmann ideal gas model from a Quantum Phase Space approach

Abstract

Abstract The quantum corrections related to the ideal gas model that are often considered are those which are related to the particles nature: bosons or fermions. These corrections leadrespectively to the Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics. However, in this work, otherkinds of corrections which are related to the quantum nature of phase space are considered. These corrections are introduced as improvement in the expression of the partition function of an ideal gas. Then corrected thermodynamics properties of the gas are deduced. Both the non-relativistic quantum and relativistic quantum cases are considered. It is shown that the corrections in the non-relativistic quantum case may be particularly useful to describe the deviation from classical behavior of a Maxwell-Boltzmann gas at low temperature and in confined space. These corrections can be considered as including the description of quantum size and shape effects. For the relativistic quantum case, the corrections could be relevant for confined space and when the thermal energy of each particle is comparable to their rest energy. The corrections appear mainly as modifications in the thermodynamic equation of state and in the expressions of the partition function and thermodynamic functions like entropy, internal energy, and free energy. Classical expressions are obtained as asymptotic limits.