Reduction of the electronic wave vectors (K points)

sryzdn

Hello,

I have come across this sentence in a paper:

"For a metal, the introduction of a finite temperature T can be of a more technical use: the Fermi surface of the system is no longer a sharp feature in the Brillouin zone, and the number of electronic wave vectors "k points" needed to sample the Brillouin zone is significantly reduced."

Why does the number of the "K points" reduce? Would you help me understand this paragraph?

DrDu

I suppose what they mean is that the band structure gets smeared out so that it is easier to be approximated in terms of a function derived from sampling points in the Brillouin zone.