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For a complete single-particle state, the Fermi-Dirac distribution isHere ${\mu }_{\mathrm{ch}}$ denotes the chemical potential, distinct from the magnetic-moment symbol in (b). At zero temperature it approaches the Fermi energy $E_F$ and the occupation has a sharp edge. At $T\ll T_F=E_F/k_B$, thermal changes occur within an energy interval of order $k_{B}T$ about that edge.

The Fermi-edge heat-capacity counting argument uses the fact that only order $g(E_F)k_{B}T$ electrons can be rearranged because states well below the edge are blocked by the Pauli exclusion principle. Each active excitation carries energy of order $k_{B}T$, so $U(T)-U(0)\sim g(E_F)(k_{B}T{)}^2$ and $C_{V,e}\propto T$. For a smooth density of states, the Sommerfeld expansion givesHere $g$ is the total single-particle density of states, including spin. In a three-dimensional free-electron gas, $g(E_F)=3N/(2E_F)$, giving $C_{V,e}=({\pi }^2/2)N{k}_B(T/T_F)$. This is the low-temperature normal-state electronic contribution, not the lattice heat capacity or a description across a superconducting transition.^[ref]