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A uniform harmonic chain couples neighbouring displacements by quadratic spring energies. With periodic boundaries and spacing $a$, a Fourier transform gives ${\omega }_k=2\sqrt{\kappa /m_0}|\sin (ka/2)|$. Quantization makes each nonzero normal mode a phonon. The zero-frequency uniform displacement is a free centre-of-mass coordinate unless pinned, not an ordinary oscillator.^[ref]

A periodic harmonic chain with $N$ masses $m_0$, spacing $a$ and nearest-neighbour spring constant $K$ hasHamilton's equations give $m_0{\ddot{u}}_j=K(u_{j+1}+u_{j-1}-2u_j)$. The discrete Fourier transform $u_j=N^{-1/2}{\sum }_k{Q}_k{e}^{ikja}$, $p_j=N^{-1/2}{\sum }_k{P}_k{e}^{ikja}$, with $k=2\pi l/(Na)$ in one Brillouin zone, diagonalizes the quadratic form:The harmonic-chain normal-mode reality condition means $Q_k^{†}=Q_{-k}$, not that $Q_k$ and $Q_{-k}$ are independent real coordinates. For canonical quantization, impose $[u_j,p_l]=i\hslash {\delta }_{jl}$, equivalently $[Q_k,P_{k^{\prime }}]=i\hslash {\delta }_{k,-k^{\prime }}$. For $k\ne 0$ setThen the quantum harmonic chain is a set of independent phonon oscillators:The centre-of-mass zero mode of a harmonic chain is the free coordinate $X=N^{-1}{\sum }_j{u}_j$, with $[X,P_{\mathrm{tot}}]=i\hslash$; it cannot be normalized by dividing by $\sqrt{{\omega }_0}$. Retaining it giveswith the corresponding momentum expansion and uniform term $P_{\mathrm{tot}}/N$. The nonzero modes alone give the site commutator $i\hslash ({\delta }_{jl}-1/N)$; the uniform term supplies the missing $1/N$. Each oscillator occupation is a nonnegative integer, and adding one phonon costs $\hslash {\omega }_k$ and crystal momentum $\hslash k$ modulo a reciprocal-lattice vector. ^[ref]

In the continuum limit of a harmonic chain, $\rho =m_0/a$, $Y=Ka$ andThe wave equation and linear low-$k$ dispersion relation follow. The lattice gives an ultraviolet cutoff; the acoustic approximation does not reproduce the zone-edge flattening.

With the centre of mass fixed, the oscillator partition function and Bose-Einstein distribution areFor a long chain, above its finite-size level spacing and below the zone-edge scale, integrating the two acoustic propagation directions gives $C/(Na)=\pi k_{\mathrm{B}}^{2}T/(3\hslash c)$. At high temperature each retained oscillator instead contributes $k_{\mathrm{B}}$ to the heat capacity.

Take a uniform nearest-neighbour harmonic chain with displacement $u_j$, conjugate momentum $p_j$, mass $m_0$, spring stiffness $\kappa$, lattice spacing $a$ and periodic length $\ell =Na$. These specify a standard model for the requested notes, not additional numerical exam data. Its Lagrangian and Hamiltonian areVariation gives $m_0{\ddot{u}}_j=\kappa (u_{j+1}-2u_j+u_{j-1})$. For a mode $e^{i(kja-\omega t)}$, periodicity requires $k=2\pi n/\ell$ andThe lattice makes $k$ periodic modulo $2\pi /a$, so choose one Brillouin zone. At long wavelength ${\omega }_k\simeq v|k|$, where $v=a\sqrt{\kappa /m_0}$ is the sound speed. The continuum limit of a harmonic chain expands $u_{j+1}-u_j\simeq a{\partial }_{x}u$ and replaces ${\sum }_j$ by $a^{-1}\int dx$. Defining mass density $\rho =m_0/a$ and one-dimensional elastic coefficient $K=\kappa a$ givesThe momentum density is $\Pi =\rho {\partial }_{t}u$, and the Hamiltonian density is ${\Pi }^2/(2\rho )+K({\partial }_{x}u{)}^2/2$. Translational invariance of $u$ makes total momentum conserved. The continuum approximation describes acoustic wavelengths large compared with $a$; it is not a justification for extending the lattice dispersion and zero-point sums to arbitrarily large wavevector.^[ref]

canonical quantization promotes the coordinates and momenta to operators with $[u_j,p_l]=i\hslash {\delta }_{jl}$ and the other equal-time commutators zero. In the continuum, $[u(x),\Pi (x^{\prime })]=i\hslash {\delta }_{\mathrm{per}}(x-x^{\prime })$. The nonzero normal modes can be represented by independent phonon operators obeying $[b_k,b_q^{†}]={\delta }_{kq}$. A useful lattice expansion iswhere $X=N^{-1}{\sum }_j{u}_j$ is the centre-of-mass displacement. The corresponding momentum isIncluding the centre-of-mass term restores the full site commutator: the nonzero-mode sum alone gives $i\hslash ({\delta }_{jl}-1/N)$. Substitution diagonalizes the Hamiltonian,A phonon is one quantum of a collective normal mode, carrying energy $\hslash {\omega }_k$ and lattice momentum $\hslash k$ modulo a reciprocal-lattice vector. Reality of $u_j$ relates its Fourier coordinates by $u_k^{†}=u_{-k}$; it does not remove the independent oppositely travelling phonon modes. Using one complete Brillouin zone avoids double-counting real standing-wave coordinates.^[ref]

The free centre of mass has no restoring force and must not be treated as an oscillator of zero frequency. Fixing it, weakly pinning it, or specifying a finite centre-of-mass volume defines the corresponding zero-mode factor. With a fixed centre of mass, the internal thermal partition function and occupations areThe internal energy is ${\sum }_{k\ne 0}\hslash {\omega }_k(⟨n_k⟩+1/2)$; its high-temperature heat capacity approaches $(N-1)k_B$. For a large one-dimensional chain at temperatures below the lattice cutoff but above its finite-size mode spacing,This one-dimensional acoustic phonon heat capacity shows that quantization turns classical normal waves into bosonic excitations with a linear low-temperature heat capacity in one dimension. The Euclidean field action $S_E=\frac{1}{2}{\int }_0^{\beta \hslash }d\tau dx[\rho ({\partial }_{\tau }u{)}^2+K({\partial }_{x}u{)}^2]$ is Gaussian, with periodic imaginary-time boundary conditions; its Fourier modes reproduce these oscillators. Absolute displacement correlations require the zero-mode convention, and the lattice regulates short-distance fluctuations.