Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/ii/paper-3/35a/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 3 35A a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Bosons have symmetric many-particle states, so any number may occupy the same one-particle state. At low temperature, an ideal Bose gas therefore places a macroscopic population in its lowest one-particle state; below the critical temperature this is Bose-Einstein condensation.
Fermions have antisymmetric many-particle states and obey the Pauli exclusion principle, so each one-particle state can hold at most one fermion of each available internal label. At zero temperature, a noninteracting Fermi gas fills distinct states in increasing order of energy up to the Fermi energy. Its many-particle ground state is thus the filled Fermi sea.
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