Fermi energy

In quantum mechanics, a group of particles known as fermions (for example, electrons, protons and neutrons) obey the Pauli exclusion principle. This states that two fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state. Since an idealized non-interacting Fermi gas can be analyzed in terms of single-particle stationary states, we can thus say that two fermions cannot occupy the same stationary state. These stationary states will typically be distinct in energy. To find the ground state of the whole system, we start with an empty system, and add particles one at a time, consecutively filling up the unoccupied stationary states with the lowest energy. When all the particles have been put in, the Fermi energy is the kinetic energy of the highest occupied state. As a consequence, even if we have extracted all possible energy from a Fermi gas by cooling it to near absolute zero temperature, the fermions are still moving around at a high speed. The fastest ones are moving at a velocity corresponding to a kinetic energy equal to the Fermi energy. This speed is known as the Fermi velocity. Only when the temperature exceeds the related Fermi temperature, do the particles begin to move significantly faster than at absolute zero. The Fermi energy is an important concept in the solid state physics of metals and superconductors. It is also a very important quantity in the physics of quantum liquids like low temperature helium (both normal and superfluid 3He), and it is quite important to nuclear physics and to understanding the stability of white dwarf stars against gravitational collapse. ==Formula and typical values==

The Fermi energy for a three-dimensional, non-relativistic, non-interacting ensemble of identical spin- fermions is given by E_\text{F} = \frac{\hbar^2}{2m_0} \left( \frac{3 \pi^2 N}{V} \right)^{2/3}, where N is the number of particles, m0 the rest mass of each fermion, V the volume of the system, and \hbar the reduced Planck constant. Metals Under the free electron model, the electrons in a metal can be considered to form a Fermi gas. The number density N/V of conduction electrons in metals ranges between approximately 1028 and 1029 electrons/m3, which is also the typical density of atoms in ordinary solid matter. This number density produces a Fermi energy of the order of 2 to 10 electronvolts. White dwarfs Stars known as white dwarfs have mass comparable to the Sun, but have about a hundredth of its radius. The high densities mean that the electrons are no longer bound to single nuclei and instead form a degenerate electron gas. Their Fermi energy is about 0.3 MeV. Nucleus Another typical example is that of the nucleons in the nucleus of an atom. The radius of the nucleus admits deviations, so a typical value for the Fermi energy is usually given as 38 MeV. == Related quantities ==

Using this definition of above for the Fermi energy, various related quantities can be useful. The Fermi temperature is defined as T_\text{F} = \frac{E_\text{F}}{k_\text{B}}, where k_\text{B} is the Boltzmann constant, and E_\text{F} the Fermi energy. The Fermi temperature can be thought of as the temperature at which thermal effects are comparable to quantum effects associated with Fermi statistics. The Fermi temperature for a metal is a couple of orders of magnitude above room temperature. Other quantities defined in this context are Fermi momentum p_\text{F} = \sqrt{2 m_0 E_\text{F}} and Fermi velocity v_\text{F} = \frac{p_\text{F}}{m_0}. These quantities are respectively the momentum and group velocity of a fermion at the Fermi surface. The Fermi momentum can also be described as p_\text{F} = \hbar k_\text{F}, where k_\text{F} = (3\pi^2 n)^{1/3}, called the Fermi wavevector, is the radius of the Fermi sphere. n is the electron density. These quantities may not be well-defined in cases where the Fermi surface is non-spherical. ==See also==