General version of fermi-dirac distribution?

In summary, the conversation discusses the different distributions used to determine the occupation of energy states by particles, including the Boltzmann distribution for unlimited occupancy, the Fermi-Dirac distribution for single occupancy, and the question about a general solution for a restricted number of particles in a state. The expert suggests working through the derivation of the single-particle occupation number to find the appropriate statistics for this situation.
  • #1
timmy1234
8
0
general version of fermi-dirac distribution??

merry x-mas everyone!

in the Boltzmann distribution every state with energy Ei can be occupied by an arbitrarily large number of molecules. In contrast, if each state can be occupied by only one particle then one needs to use the fermi dirac distribution.
here comes the question:
does a general solution exist for the case that only Ni particles can occupy energy state Ei? For instance, state E0 can be occupied by <= 5 molecules, energy state E1 can be occupied by <= 20 molecules etc.

I have looked in a couple of books but none talks about this situation.

Many thanks!

Tim
 
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  • #2
timmy1234 said:
merry x-mas everyone!

in the Boltzmann distribution every state with energy Ei can be occupied by an arbitrarily large number of molecules.

boltzmann? you mean Bose-Einstein?

In the classical limit, for either BE or FD statistics, the mean occupation number reduces to

e^{-\beta(E_i-\mu)}

where \mu is very large in magnitude and negative so that the mean occupation number is always tiny.

In contrast, if each state can be occupied by only one particle then one needs to use the fermi dirac distribution.

If incontact with a thermal bath one always starts from the same place. always. One starts from the fact that the probability that a state 'x' is occpied depends on the energy
of the state E_x and is given by


e^{-\beta(E_x)}


in the independant particle approximation the energy of the state is the sum of the individual particle energies, etc, one ends up with either the BE or FD mean occupation number. In general, for independant particles, regardless of the statistics, the energy is a state x is the sum of independant particle energies \epsilon_i and depends only on occupation number for identical particles. And one just performs the sum


Z=\sum_{n1,n2,...}e^{-\beta(\sum_{i}n_i \epsilon_i)}.


For BE n1,n2,etc run from 0 to infinity

For FD n1,n2,etc run from 0 to 1

But you are free to choose n1, n2, etc, to be occupied however you like. Unfortunately you won't be describing any real physics. Cheers.

here comes the question:
does a general solution exist for the case that only Ni particles can occupy energy state Ei? For instance, state E0 can be occupied by <= 5 molecules, energy state E1 can be occupied by <= 20 molecules etc.

I have looked in a couple of books but none talks about this situation.

Many thanks!

Tim
 
  • #4
First off, thanks for the replies!

but i think my question didn't get across too well.

the point i tried to make is the follwoing:

if the pauli exclusion principle doesn't apply then one can use the Boltzmann distribution to determine how many partiles will be sitting on energy state Ei with equation:

Ni = N * exp(Ei/kT) / Z.

where N is the total number of particles and Ni is the number of particles with energy Ei.

If the pauli excultion principle must be obeyed (that is Ni is einther 0 or 1) then one needs to apply the Fermi-Dirac distribution.

The question is: if Ni is restricted to some number Ai (not necessarily 1 but any number)what is the statistics that one is supposed to use?
 
  • #5
timmy1234 said:
First off, thanks for the replies!

but i think my question didn't get across too well.

the point i tried to make is the follwoing:

if the pauli exclusion principle doesn't apply then one can use the Boltzmann distribution to determine how many partiles will be sitting on energy state Ei with equation:

Ni = N * exp(Ei/kT) / Z.

where N is the total number of particles and Ni is the number of particles with energy Ei.

If the pauli excultion principle must be obeyed (that is Ni is einther 0 or 1) then one needs to apply the Fermi-Dirac distribution.

you need to work through the derivation of the single-particle occupation number <N_a> starting from where I suggested in my previous post

<N_a>=\frac{-1}{E_a-\mu}\frac{\partial}{\partial \beta}\log(Z_a)

The question is: if Ni is restricted to some number Ai (not necessarily 1 but any number)what is the statistics that one is supposed to use?
 
  • #6
[tex]
<N_a>=\frac{-1}{E_a-\mu}\frac{\partial}{\partial \beta}\log(Z_a)
[/tex]
 

1. What is the General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution?

The General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution is a probability distribution function that describes the distribution of fermions (particles with half-integer spin) at thermal equilibrium. It takes into account the energy levels and the number of fermions at each energy level.

2. How is the General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution different from the standard Fermi-Dirac Distribution?

The General version takes into account the degeneracy of energy levels, meaning that multiple fermions can occupy the same energy level. This is important for systems with high degeneracy, such as in metals.

3. What is the formula for the General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution?

The formula is given by f(E) = 1/(e^[(E-E_f)/kT] + 1), where E is the energy, E_f is the Fermi energy, k is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the temperature.

4. How is the General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution used in scientific research?

This distribution is commonly used in condensed matter physics to describe the behavior of fermionic systems, such as electrons in metals. It is also used in astrophysics to describe the distribution of particles in stars and white dwarfs.

5. Can the General version of Fermi-Dirac Distribution be applied to other types of particles besides fermions?

No, this distribution is specifically designed for fermions due to their unique quantum mechanical properties. Other types of particles, such as bosons, require different distribution functions, such as the Bose-Einstein distribution.

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