In the relativistic free electron gas, the classical kinetic energy E = p²/2m is replaced by E = Vp?c² + m2c4 – mc?. If the electrons are ultra-relativistic, the rest mass contribution is ignored and the energy is simply written as E = pc. Repeat the calculation derived in class for the fermy energy of an ideal gas of free electrons, assuming the electrons are massless (ultra-relativistic).
In the relativistic free electron gas, the classical kinetic energy E = p²/2m is replaced by E = Vp?c² + m2c4 – mc?. If the electrons are ultra-relativistic, the rest mass contribution is ignored and the energy is simply written as E = pc. Repeat the calculation derived in class for the fermy energy of an ideal gas of free electrons, assuming the electrons are massless (ultra-relativistic).
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Q3.3 Please answer the following question throughly and detailed. Need to understand the concept.
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Step 1
It is known that the kinetic energy for relativistic free electron is calculated as,
If we ignore the rest mass, m. Then, E=pc. Where p is the momentum and c is the speed of light.
From de-Broglie relation it is known that, . Therefore,
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