Université Bourgogne Franche­Comté

Quantum Solid State Physics

M1 PPN ­ January 2021

Determine if the following statements are true or false. Provide a 10 to 15 lines justi i‐
cation of each answer.
(a) In the BLOCH model of the electron energy spectrum of a crystal, close to a critical
⌢
point
√ E c featuring the maximum of a band, the density of states is proportional to
⌢
E − E c where E is the energy.
(b) For a ixed wavevector k, the BLOCH functions uλ,k (r) form a complete set of eigen‐
fucntions.
(c) A time‐independent spatially uniform electric ield is applied to a metal. In the ab‐
sence of any relaxation process, a partially illed band has an insulating effect.
(d) In order to describe the transport properties in a crystal, one uses the concept of
BLOCH wavepacket extending over approximately 100 Angstroems. In reciprocal space,
this corresponds to a wavepacket spectrum featuring a typical dispersion Δk of the
order of 8π 3 /V where V is the sample volume.
(e) The effective mass describes the inertial mass of a BLOCH wavepacket undergoing
an external force.
(f) The BOLTZMANN partial differential equation describes the evolution of the distri‐
bution of occupied electron states in the reciprocal space.
(g) In a crystal, a spatial variation of the FERMI level of the BLOCH electron states is equi‐
valent to a temperature gradient.