Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 4 34D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Assume ; reversing the sign only exchanges the spin labels. Since , the Pauli term shifts the spinless energies by . ThusAfter collecting equal energies, the spin splitting of Landau levels isThe level contains only and has degeneracy . Every level contains and and has degeneracy .
For noninteracting electrons, the Pauli exclusion principle fills these states from the bottom. If , every electron fits in the zero-energy level andFor , writeThen the first positive levels are full and states in level are occupied. The ground-state energy isEquivalently, onThe graph is continuous and piecewise linear: it is flat up to , then has slopes , with kinks at