Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-thermal-and-statistical-physics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/paper-1/2/a/solution
Past exam of the thermal and statistical physics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 Paper 1 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For one Cartesian velocity component of a free Brownian particle, the inertial Langevin equation isThe random force and viscous drag obey the fluctuation-dissipation relation. With a thermal equilibrium velocity distribution, the relaxation time is andIntegrating velocity twice givesFor , this is Einstein's diffusion law, , with . In three dimensions . At the motion is ballistic, . A sphere in the Stokes-drag regime has , giving .
Original equilibrium Langevin mean-square displacement, showing the ballistic-to-diffusive crossover and the factor-of-two one-coordinate diffusion convention
. Details. New to topics? Read the docs here!
