In this applet we explore the form of the Fermi-Dirac distribution for different values of the chemical potential.
We write
The population, P, of the orbitals is given by
Where is the chemical potential (J), k is the Boltzmann constant (1.38066 x 10-23 J K-1), and T is temperature (K).
To plot P enter values for m and hit New Plot. Up to 5 plots can be displayed at one time. The Clear button will remove all plots. To see the parameters for each plot hit the Legend on/off button. The Redraw button will refresh the graph. This is useful when the function domain has been changed. To see the value of each plot at a given point, move your cursor to the desired location then click and hold.
The Surface tab displays a set of curves as a single surface.
