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Fermi Dirac Statistics

Fermi-Dirac statistics describes the distribution of fermions, which are particles with half-integer spin such as electrons. It is based on the work of Enrico Fermi and P.A.M. Dirac. The statistics determine that no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state. Applications include modeling the behavior of free electrons in conductors as a Fermi gas and explaining the stability of white dwarf stars through electron degeneracy pressure balancing gravitational collapse.

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Riya Saluja
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299 views15 pages

Fermi Dirac Statistics

Fermi-Dirac statistics describes the distribution of fermions, which are particles with half-integer spin such as electrons. It is based on the work of Enrico Fermi and P.A.M. Dirac. The statistics determine that no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state. Applications include modeling the behavior of free electrons in conductors as a Fermi gas and explaining the stability of white dwarf stars through electron degeneracy pressure balancing gravitational collapse.

Uploaded by

Riya Saluja
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Fermi-Dirac Statistics

By:
Harleen Kaur
Lecturer in Physics
Government College for Girls,
Sector-11,Chandigarh.
 Two key scientists behind the development of
Fermi-Dirac statistics are Enrico Fermi and
P.A.M Dirac.
Enrico Fermi P.A.M Dirac
Fermi-Dirac Statistics
 It determines the statistical distribution of Fermions.

 Fermions are particles with half integral spin angular


momentum and they obey Pauli’s Exclusion
Principle i.e no two particles can occupy same state
at the same time.

 Examples of Fermions are: Electrons, protons,


neutrons, neutrinos etc.
Fermi-Dirac Distribution Law
 The number of ways of distributing ni
particles among the gi sublevels of an energy
level is given by:

 The number of ways that a set of occupation


numbers ni can be realized is the product of
the ways that each individual energy level
can be populated:
 we wish to find the set of ni for which W(Thermodynamic
Probability) is maximized, subject to the constraint that
there be a fixed number of particles, and a fixed energy.

 Using Stirling's approximation for the factorials and


taking the derivative with respect to ni, and setting the
result to zero and solving for ni yields the Fermi-Dirac
population numbers:
Substituting β=1/kT

where k=Boltzmann's constant


ni= ___gi_____
eαeεi /kT + 1
This is Fermi-Dirac Distribution Law.

The value of α can be calculated as per the conditions of a


particular system.
Fermi-Energy :is the energy value upto which all
energy states are filled at 0K and above which all the
energy states are empty.This is given by:

EF=h2 (3n/8 πV)⅔


2m
Where n=no.of conduction electrons
V=volume of the conductor
Fermi-Dirac distribution and
the Fermi-level
The Fermi Energy function f(E) specifies how many of the
existing states at the energy E will be filled with electrons. The
function f(E) specifies, under equilibrium conditions, the
probability that an available state at an energy E will be occupied
by an electron. It is a probability distribution function.

EF = Fermi energy or Fermi level


k = Boltzmann constant = 1.38 1023 J/K
= 8.6  105 eV/K
T = absolute temperature in K
Fermi-Dirac distribution: Consider T  0 K

1
For E > EF : f ( E  EF )   0
1  exp ( )

1
For E < EF : f ( E  EF )   1
1  exp ( )

EF

0 1 f(E)
Fermi-Dirac distribution: Consider T > 0 K

If E = EF then f(EF) = ½
E  EF  3kT  E  EF 
If then exp    1
 kT 
  ( E  EF ) 
Thus the following approximation is valid: f ( E )  exp  
 kT 

i.e., most states at energies 3kT above EF are empty.

 E  EF 
If E  EF  3kT then exp    1
 kT 
 E  EF 
Thus the following approximation is valid: f ( E )  1  exp  
 kT 
So, 1f(E) = Probability that a state is empty, decays to zero.
So, most states will be filled.
kT (at 300 K) = 0.025eV, Eg(Si) = 1.1eV, so 3kT is very small
in comparison.
Temperature dependence of
Fermi-Dirac distribution
Variation of Fermi energy
function with Temperature
Applications of Fermi-Dirac
Statistics
 The most important application of the F-D distribution
law is in predicting the behaviour of free electrons inside
conductors.
 The collection of these free electrons form a sort of gas
known as Fermi Gas.
 Fermi-Dirac distribution law of electron energies is given
by:

n(u)du= 8√2πVm3/2 u1/2du


h3 eα+u/kT+1
As the temperature of the system is decreased,the energy
of the system also decreases.The electrons tend to
occupy lower energy states as the system is cooled.
Stability of White Dwarfs
 This is another important
application of
F-D statistics.
 White dwarf stars are stars
of very small sizes(About
size of earth),having
masses 0.2-1.4 times the
mass of sun,having high
density and high surface
temperatures(~10,000K to
30,000K).Due to such high
temperature they appear
white.
 White Dwarfs contain free electrons, protons, neutrons
and other nuclei. These free protons or neutrons
constitute Fermi gas.

 Since the pressure exerted by a gas of fermions is


proportional to the Fermi energy, the pressure exerted
by electrons inside a white dwarf is much higher than
due to protons, neutrons and nuclei.

 This outward pressure due to free electrons acts against


and balances the inward acting force of gravity and is
largely responsible foe stability of white dwarfs.

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