Loyola University Chicago, Physics, Chicago, IL 60189
In order to resolve the Ehrnefest's "heat capacitance catastrophe" in Drude's free electron gas theory of metals, in 1913 W. Wien postulated that the energy of the electrons was independent of temperature, and the free path length of electrons depended on temperature through the thermal oscillations of lattice. We will review these postulates and their connection to Fermi energy.
[Abstract (DOCX)]