- #1
Kazza_765
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Basically I have an (infinite) population of isolated atoms with a bunch of discrete energy levels available to them. I want to work out what the expected population of each of the states is at a given temperature.
They're complex atoms (transition metals) and spin-orbit coupling combined with various valance configurations gives me a big spectrum of possible eigenstates, with a number of different degeneracies. I'm sure I should have covered this at some stage in my education, but I always hated statistical physics and skipped most of the lectures.
I'm hoping someone could point me towards the right formula or the right book, or even a paper that has covered this at a basic level and has useful references. The only thing I remember is looking at the fermi level in semi-conductors, but I don't think that applies when we have discrete states.
Thanks
John
They're complex atoms (transition metals) and spin-orbit coupling combined with various valance configurations gives me a big spectrum of possible eigenstates, with a number of different degeneracies. I'm sure I should have covered this at some stage in my education, but I always hated statistical physics and skipped most of the lectures.
I'm hoping someone could point me towards the right formula or the right book, or even a paper that has covered this at a basic level and has useful references. The only thing I remember is looking at the fermi level in semi-conductors, but I don't think that applies when we have discrete states.
Thanks
John