Question:easy

Which of the following is the Debye temperature?

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Set the maximum phonon energy equal to a thermal energy: \(\hbar\omega_D = k_B\theta_D\).
Updated On: Jul 2, 2026
  • \(\theta_D = \dfrac{\hbar\omega_D}{2k_B}\)
  • \(\dfrac{\hbar\omega_D}{k_B}\)
  • \(\dfrac{\hbar^2\omega_D}{k_B}\)
  • \(\dfrac{\hbar^2\omega_D^2}{k_B}\)
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: The Debye temperature marks the temperature above which essentially all vibrational modes of a solid are thermally excited. It is set by the highest allowed phonon frequency $\omega_D$.

Step 2: Convert that cut-off frequency into a temperature by matching quantum energy to thermal energy: $\hbar\omega_D = k_B\theta_D$. This is the same $E = k_B T$ bookkeeping used throughout statistical physics.

Step 3: Rearranging gives $\theta_D = \dfrac{\hbar\omega_D}{k_B}$. Only a single power of $\hbar$ appears because $\hbar\omega$ is already an energy.

Step 4: Any expression carrying $\hbar^2$ would have the wrong dimensions (energy times action, not energy), so those choices cannot represent a temperature. The factor-of-two option misstates the standard definition.\[\boxed{\theta_D = \frac{\hbar\omega_D}{k_B}}\]
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