Question

Fermi energy of Cu The Fermi energy of electrons in copper at room temperature is 7.0 eV. The

electron drift mobility in copper, from Hall effect measurements, is 33 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹.
What is the speed vF of conduction electrons with energies around EF in copper?

Answer 1

The speed of conduction electrons near the Fermi energy in copper is calculated using the square root of twice the Fermi energy divided by the electron's rest mass. By plugging in the known values into the formula, we can determine the Fermi velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The speed vF of conduction electrons with energies around the Fermi energy EF in copper can be calculated using the formula for the Fermi velocity, which is derived from the Fermi energy:

vF = √(2EF/me), where EF is the Fermi energy and me is the electron rest mass.

Given the Fermi energy EF = 7.0 eV (which is approximately 1.12 x 10⁻¹⁵ J when converted to joules), and knowing the rest mass of an electron me is approximately 9.11 x 10⁻1 Kg, we can plug these values into the formula to find the Fermi velocity vF.

Therefore, the speed of conduction electrons with energies around the Fermi energy in copper is calculated by:

vF = √((2 x 1.12 x 10⁻¹⁵ J)/(9.11 x 10⁻1 Kg))

This calculation will give us the Fermi velocity vF in meters per second (m/s).