LECTURE 02 SOLID STATE PHYSICS -II

FREE ELECTRON THEORY

The free electron theory was originally proposed in 1900 by Drude and developed by
Lorentz in 1909 to describe and correlate the electrical and thermal properties of metals. The
theory developed by Drude and Lorentz is called classical free electron theory. Later on,
Sommerfeld in 1928 applied the principles of quantum mechanics to classical free electron
theory and explained the most of the general properties of simple metals. The theory developed
by Sommerfeld is called quantum free electron theory.
The free electron model is a simple model for the behaviour of charge carriers in
a metallic solid. This model was developed in 1928, by Sommerfeld who combined
the classical Drude model with quantum mechanical Fermi–Dirac statistics. That is why it is also
known as the Drude–Sommerfeld model.
The free electron theory explains the structure and properties of solids through their
electronic structure. It explains the binding in solids, behavior of conductors & insulators,
ferromagnetism, electrical & thermal conductivities of solids, elasticity, cohesive & repulsive
forces in solids.
The free electrons in a metal have random motions with equal probability in all directions
according to classical theory. The free electrons occupy different energy levels up to Fermi level
at 0K according to quantum theory.