Component chemical potentials. Define the per-spin quantum concentration . For a classical component with one-particle potential energy , the local Helmholtz free energy density is . Its derivative with respect to number density gives the full local chemical potential, including the magnetic energy. With the up state defined as the lower level,The Bohr magneton is a magnetic moment; is an energy. The factor two for the two spin states is not already included in .
Total equilibrium chemical potential. If spin conversion is allowed, a particle can be added in either spin state at the same equilibrium free-energy cost. Thusnot their sum or zero. The total particle number, or a reservoir, fixes this common value; the supplied information does not specify a numerical chemical potential. A useful local expression is , with , whose density dependence is found below.
Why it is uniform and common. Moving a small number of one species from to changes the free energy by . If this difference were nonzero, a transfer could lower the free energy. Equilibrium under diffusion therefore requires each full chemical potential to be spatially constant. A spin flip transferring from down to up similarly changes free energy by , proving equality when spin relaxation is permitted. This is chemical equilibrium of a classical spin gas. Mere thermal contact at fixed separate spin populations would not enforce the latter equality; full spin equilibrium is the necessary assumption. A spatially varying magnetic field is balanced by a spatially varying density, not by a varying full chemical potential.
Magnetization. Invert the component equations at the common :The two levels have moments and along the field. The magnetization, magnetic moment per unit volume, is thereforeIts SI units are . This expression neglects interactions and magnetic feedback of the gas on the specified external field.
High-temperature response. For , and , yieldingAt fixed number density, this is the Curie law: the susceptibility with respect to is . The conventional dimensionless susceptibility with respect to is approximately when . At fixed , however, changes with temperature, so itself need not scale simply as . The moment per particle has the Curie behaviour; the density constraint must be stated.
Total density. Adding the two populations givesFor a finite container and fixed , normalization gives . In a weak field the leading density is uniform, with changes only of order . Particles preferentially occupy regions where the magnitude of the field lowers one of the spin energies, even though the common chemical potential remains uniform.