Homework Sheet No.

Issued 24 May 2017 and due 12 June 2017 (Please note: 6 problems on 2 pages)
1. (a) Show that the isothermal compressibility T and the adiabatic compressibility S of an
1 f1/2 ( z ) 3 f 3/2 ( z )
ideal Fermi gas are given by T , S , where n (=N/V) is the
nkT f 3/2 ( z ) 5nkT f 5/2 ( z )
particle density in the gas. Check that at low temperatures

3 2 kT 3 5 2 kT
2 2

T 1 , S 1 .
2n F 12 F 2n F 12 F

(b) Making use of the thermodynamic relations

P V P
2

CP CV T TV T , show that
T V T P T V

2
CP CV 4 CV f1/2 ( z ) 2 kT
(kT F ) .
CV 9 Nk f 3/2 ( z ) 3 F

(c) Finally, making use of the thermodynamic relation = T/S, verify that

CP z / T P 5 f 5/2 ( z ) f1/2 ( z )
, and check that at low temperatures
CV z / T v 3 [ f 3/2 ( z )]2

2
2 kT
1 .
3 F

(Textbook, p.270, Problem 8.4)

2. Consider an ideal Fermi gas, with energy spectrum ps, contained in a box of volume
V in a space of n dimensions. Show that, for this system,
s
(a) PV U ;
n

CV n n f ( z) n f ( z)
(b) ( 1) ( n / s )1 ( )2 ( n / s ) ;
Nk s s f(n/s ) ( z) s f ( n / s )1 ( z )

CP CV sC f ( z)
(c) ( V )2 ( n / s )1 ;
Nk nNk f( n/s ) ( z)

(d) the equation of an adiabat is PV 1( s / n ) = const., and

(e) the index (1+(s/n)) in the foregoing equation agrees with the ratio (CP/CV) of the gas only
when T >> TF. On the other hand, when T << TF, the ratio (CP / CV ) 1 ( 2 / 3)(kT / F )2 ,

irrespective of the values of s and n.

(Textbook, p.272, Problem 8.10).

3. Show that, quite generally, the low-temperature behavior of the chemical potential, the
specific heat, and the entropy of an ideal Fermi gas is given by
2 ln g ( ) kT 2 2
F 1 , and CV S k 2Tg ( F ) , where g() is the
6 F F 3

density of (the single-particle) states in the system. Examine these results for a gas with
energy spectrum ps, confined to a space of n dimensions and discuss the special cases: s
= 1 and 2, with n = 2 and 3.
[Hint: Use equation (E.18) from Apendix E.]
(Textbook, p. 272, Problems 8.13).

4. (a) Derive the density of states for a Fermi gas in a harmonic trap g ( ) 2 / 2( 0 )3 ,

where 0 = (123)1/3 is the geometric mean of the trap frequencies in the Cartesian
directions.
(b) Use the expression for the density of states to derive the following relations:
4 3
1 2d U T x 3dx T x 2dx
N (, T ) 3 ( )
2( 0 ) 0 e
,
1 U0
4
TF
0 e xe 1 , 3 TF 0 e xe 1 1 , the

Fermi energy F 0 (6 N )1/3 and the ground state energy U0 (3 / 4) N F .

(See Textbook, p. 258, Sec. 8.4).

5. Investigate the Pauli paramagnetism of an ideal gas of fermions with intrinsic magnetic
moment and spin J (J = 1/2, 3/2, ), and derive expressions for the low-temperature and
high-temperature susceptibilities of the gas.
(Textbook, p. 272, Problem 8.14).

6. Consider a two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field strong enough so that all
particles can be accommodated in the lowest Landau level. Taking into account both orbital
and spin paramagnetism, find the magnetization at absolute zero.
(K. Huangs book, p. 277, Problem 11.6).