Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2011/ii/paper-3/10e/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ii Paper 3 10E i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
As , the Fermi-Dirac distribution tends to a step function: for , and for . The value at equality is immaterial to the integrals. The Fermi momentum is defined by : the Pauli exclusion principle fills the lowest available states and forbids multiple occupation of a state with a fixed spin. Thus the sketch is a horizontal line at one up to , followed by a jump to zero.
In the ultrarelativistic, , givingEliminate to obtainThe supplied expression for includes rest energy; in this limit its leading term is also the leading kinetic energy.
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