EP3120 Set7
EP3120 Set7
EP3120 Set7
Ideal Fermi gas at absolute zero: We recall that the mean number of particles
in an ideal gas of fermions at inverse temperature β and volume V is given by
1 3nh3 2/3
εF = .
2m 2π
for the Fermi energy. Note the power-law dependence εF ∝ n2/3 of the Fermi energy
on the number density.
This is the ground state energy of a Fermi gas at absolute zero. (That is, the internal
energy per particle is 35 εF at T = 0◦ K.) Alternatively, the internal energy per unit
volume is
hEi 3
= u = nεF ∝ n5/3 .
V 5
1
is why the electron gas can be taken to be a Fermi gas at absolute zero to a good
approximation. The leading T -dependence of the chemical potential can be shown to
be n π 2 kB T 2 o
εF (n, T ) ' εF 1 −
12 εF
where εF stands for εF (n, 0) as already stated. Using this result, we can go on to
show that the leading correction to the internal energy at absolute zero is given by
3 n 5π 2 kB T 2 o n 5π 2 kB T 2 o
hEi ' hN iεF 1 + = hEiT =0 1 + .
5 12 εF 12 εF
3. Linear specific heat: Hence show that the leading low-temperature behavior of
the specific heat of a Fermi gas is linear in T , i.e.,
∂hEi π 2 kB
2
Cv = = hN iγT where γ = .
∂T V,N 2εF
This is the well known linear T -dependence of the electronic contribution to the spe-
cific heat of a solid at very low temperatures, in contrast to the T 3 dependence of
the lattice (or phonon) contribution. The latter arises because the relevant phonons
(quantized lattice vibrations) act like a gs of massless bosons, analogous to a photon
gas– recall that the latter has an internal energy proportional to T 4 , and hence a
specific heat proportional to T 3 .
The physical reason for a linear specific heat is that the Fermi gas at absolute zero
has all its energy levels up to εF completely occupied. The only particles that can
absorb thermal energy from the heat bath (which is of the order of kB T per degree of
freedom) are those within a range kB T of the Fermi energy. This implies an ability
to absorb thermal energy of the order of (kB T )2 , which in turn implies a specific heat
that is linear in T .
4. Pressure of a Fermi gas at absolute zero: Use the relation between the
pressure P and ths internal energy per unit volume u for a massive ideal gas in 3
dimensions to obtain
2
P = nεF .
5
Hence P ∝ n5/3 for this gas. It is noteworthy that the gas exerts a pressure even
though it is at absolute zero! This pressure arises purely from the statistical repulsion
between the particles of the gas owing to the Pauli Exclusion Principle.
2
6. Relativistic Fermi gas at absolute zero: The modification of the foregoing
that is needed when the particles of the Fermi gas move relativistically is the energy-
momentum relation, that is now given by ε2 = c2 p2 + m2 c4 . Since the quantity
β(ε−ε ) 1, ε < εF
1/ e F
+1 →
0, ε > εF
as in the nonrelativistic case, the particles once again have a momentum cut-off, the
Fermi momentum pF . But this is now related to the Fermi energy by
ε2F = c2 p2F + m2 c4 .
πV cp4C
sinh ξ − ξ where ξ = 4 sinh−1 (pF /pC ).
hEi = 3
4h