Condensed Matter Physics I FK7042, Jan. 28, 2016.

Lecture 2 Sommerfeld theory of metals

Reading
Ashcroft & Mermin, Ch. 2, pp. 30 53. Ch. 3, pp. 58 62 (for overview).

Content
Fermi-Dirac distribution
Free electrons, boundary conditions
Density of levels
Fermi energy, chemical potential
Electron specific heat
Mean free path
Thermal conductivity & thermopower
Unexplained questions

Central concepts
Fermi-Dirac distrubution
The Pauli exclusion principle strongly modifies classical (Maxwell-Boltzmann) expressions for electronic
specific heat and electron velocities. Sommerfeld theory Drude + Fermi-Dirac distribution.
f MB = Ae/kB T
1
fFD = ()/k T
B
e
+1
Free electrons, boundary conditions
Schrodinger equation

!
2
2
~ 2 2
+
+
(r) = (r)

2m x2 y2 z2

Free electrons: no potential U. Plane-wave solution

1
k (r) = eikr
V
~2 k 2
2m

Applying momentum operator p = i~ gives eigenvalue p = mv = ~k.

(k) =

The vector k can be interpreted as a wave vector with de Broglie wavelength

=

2
k

Applying periodic boundary conditions (x + L) = (x) etc., L = V 1/3 gives allowed wave vector components
2ny
2n x
2nz
kx =
, ky =
, kz =
, n x , ny , nz integers
L
L
L

 Density of levels
Volume of k-space per level: (2/L)3 . Number of levels per volume in k-space: V/83 . Each k-state can
also take spin up or down.
Fermi energy, chemical potential
Since energy increases with k, there is a Fermi sphere of radius kF , defined to contain all N states at T = 0.

4k3F  V 
N = 2

3
83
which gives (n = N/V = Nions Z/V for valence Z)
1/3

kF = (32 n)
corresponding to a Fermi energy
F =

~2 (32 n)
2m

2/3

Definition of Fermi temperature

F = k B T F
Average energy per electron in ground state
hi =

3
F
5

Compare F ' 2 10 eV in metals with thermal energy kB T ' 25 meV at room temperature.
Equation for chemical potential (arbitrary temperature)
N=

e(i )/kB T + 1

fFD,i =

=0

fFD ()D()d

Density of states (2.61)

V
4k2 dk
83
V (2m)3/2
D() = 2

2
~3
!1/2
D() 3 n
g() =
=
V
2 F F
D()d = 2

Difference between Fermi energy F and chemical potential (2.78)

!2

1
k
T
B

= F 1
3 2F
Electron specific heat
Internal energy U
U=

Z
0

Specific heat (2.80)

cv,el =

D() f ()d = U0 +

2
(kB T )2 D(F )
6

!
u
2
2
kB T
= g(F )k2B T = nkB
= T
T
3
2
F

Strong experimental deviations from this number are observed for, for instance, Nb, Fe, Mn, Bi, and Sb
(Table 2.3).

 Mean free path - revisited

Typical electron velocity is vF so that

l = vF

Thermal conductivity & thermopower - revisited

Using F = mv2F /2, the thermal conductivity becomes
=

cv v2F 2cv F 2 n 2
=
=
k T
3
3m
3 m B

giving a Lorenz number

L=

2 k2B
=
T
3 e2

Thermopower (2.94)
Q=

!
!
1 cv
2 kB kB T
kB T
=
= 1.42
104
3 ne
6 e F
F

V/K

Unexplained questions (Ch. 3)

Transport experiments
- Hall coefficient sign
- Magnetoresistance field dependence
- Colors of Cu, Au
Thermodynamic experiments
- Size of linear term specific heat for metals such as Fe, Mn
- Cubic term specific heat
Fundamental observations
- Why are some elements nonmetals? What determines the number of conduction electrons?