Microcanonical ensemble study of a gas column under gravity

The study of a classical ideal gas column of finite height H in a uniform gravitational field g is made by the microcanonical ensemble at energy E. The primary functions of this ensemble, the phase volume and the density of states, are derived. Related statistical quantities, such as the entropy, the temperature and the heat capacity, are also reported. The equivalence in the thermodynamic limit between the calculated microcanonical expressions and those obtained from the canonical ensemble is shown numerically. The expression for the temperature is used to analyze the temperature change when the gas is permitted to expand into an evacuated region increasing the height of the column from H ₁ to H ₂. The microcanonical single-particle momentum and height distributions are also reported.