Bismuth Bulk-electronic structure

[physicist888]

hi all
as known, Bismuth is a semi-metal. the question is:
What is the characteristic of the electronic structure of this family (Semi-metal).

 

[Gokul43201]

The semimetals have a very sparsely populated conduction band, with somewhere between 10^-3 to 10^-5 electrons per atom in it. I'm not sure if there is exactly one such partially filled band, but if not, I do believe the total occupancy of all partially filled bands is approximately in the above range.

 

[physicist888]

that's right. infact, when they ask ( what's the characteristic of electronic structure of metal or whatever) that's mean that we should give information about the energy bands?
remark: the characteristic , its not plural, that's mean there's one characteristic.

 

[Gokul43201]

that's right. infact, when they ask...

Who is "they"? Where is this question from? I'm not sure why they would use the singular for "characteristic" but, it may just possibly be accidental.

 

[physicist888]

in all the questions in the unsolved exercises that I've found it on the internet ( in french ) they ask about the family about the element and then about the characteristic of the electronic structure of this family. for example, to which family participate the Bismuth? what is it the characteristic of the electronic structure of this family?

so my answer is that the bismuth is an element of the family of semi-metal. but i don't understand what they want me to talk about in the second question, cause its singular and that's mean 1 characteristic and ther'are a lot of things to say for a such question as answers.
i hope youve understand the problem.
wait your help now ;)

 

[Gokul43201]

If I had to pick one, I would go with the very low density of conduction electrons. Another way of describing the same thing is in the difference between the Fermi energy and the conduction band minimum. For the semimetals, this difference is just a few tens of meV.