Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/ii/paper-2/33c/d/solution

Ordinary equilibrium blackbody photons do not undergo this fixed-number condensation. Their number adjusts through absorption and emission, while their chemical potential stays zero; cooling reduces the equilibrium photon number rather than forcing an excess into the ground state. This answer concerns the thermal blackbody model, not specially constrained systems where an effective photon number is maintained.

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