Question

Estimate the fraction of electrons excited above the Fermi energy for Cu at room temperature.

a) 0
b) 0.5
c) 1
d) 2

Answer 1

The fraction of electrons excited above the Fermi energy for Cu at room temperature is approximately (a) 0.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fraction of electrons excited above the Fermi energy for Cu at room temperature can be estimated using the Fermi-Dirac distribution function. At room temperature, some electrons above the Fermi energy will be excited due to thermal energy.

To estimate the fraction, we need to determine the Fermi energy for Cu, which is a measure of the highest energy occupied by an electron at absolute zero temperature.

The value of the Fermi energy for Cu is around 7 eV. At room temperature, the average thermal energy is around 0.025 eV. By comparing these two values, we can estimate that the fraction of electrons excited above the Fermi energy for Cu at room temperature is approximately 0.