Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-condensed-matter-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/3/e/solution
Past exam of the condensed matter physics course of the University of Oxford 2021 3 e Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
For the degenerate electron gas, let include both spin states. The Sommerfeld expansion givesFor the gapless symmetric intrinsic semiconductor, part (d) gave the same coefficient with . Thus for equal sample areas and equal spin and valley degeneracies,The equality often intended in this comparison requires the same density of states. The source sets but does not explicitly equate them to the electron gas mass . Without that additional assumption the ratio is , or more generally if sample areas or degeneracy factors differ. For example, with equal areas satisfies the stated equal-effective mass condition in the semiconductor and gives ratio two. The filled Fermi sea does not add a factor : only the thermal shell near its Fermi energy contributes to its heat capacity.
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