On the equivalence of the microcanonical and the canonical ensembles: a geometrical approach

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the volume enclosed by the microcanonical ensemble in phase space as a statistical ensemble. This can be interpreted as an intermediate image between the microcanonical and the canonical pictures. By maintaining the ergodic hypothesis over this ensemble, that is, the equiprobability of all its accessible states, the equivalence of this ensemble in the thermodynamic limit with the microcanonical and the canonical ensembles is suggested by means of geometrical arguments. The Maxwellian and the Boltzmann-Gibbs distributions are obtained from this formalism. In the appendix, the derivation of the Boltzmann factor from a new microcanonical image of the canonical ensemble is also given.