Physics 141B, Spring 2010

Midterm #2 Solutions
David Strubbe

1. a) The Stokes lines ( ) are at lower energies than the incident light,
and are due to emission of phonons. The anti-Stokes lines ( + ) are
at higher energies, and are due to absorption of phonons. The crosssections are related to the phonon populations as described by the Planck
distribution (i.e. Bose-Einstein distribution with chemical potential =
0).
1
1
=
eh/kB T 1
1 eh/kB T
1
I ( + ) n = h/k T
B
e
1

I ( ) n + 1 = 1 +

(1)
(2)

b) When V = 2 1 , then thermally excited carriers above the gap

of superconductor 1 can tunnel to above the gap of superconductor 2.
However, when the voltage increases, the tunneling is into a lower density
of states in 2, so the current declines. When V > 1 + 2 , carriers
below the gap of 1 can tunnel to above the gap of 2. Now when the
voltage increases, the overlap between the occupied states of 1 and the
unoccupied states of 2 increases, and the current increases.

2. a) This material is an insulator, since it has a band gap of 5 eV.

Let h0 = 5 eV. From the Kramers-Kronig relations,
Z
Z
s2
sA (
h h0 )
2
2
ds = 1 + P
ds
1 = 1 + P
2 2
2 2

s
0
0
2 A 0
=1+
h 02 2

(3)
(4)

Thus
1 (0) = 1 +

2A
2 A 0
=1+
2
h 0
h0

(5)

b) At high frequencies,
1 = 1 +

p2
2A0
2 A 0

=
1

h 02 2
h 2
2

(6)

Therefore

A=

2A0
= p2
h

(7)

h 2
h2 4ne2
p =
= 6.9 1012 erg = 4.3 eV
20
2
h0 m

(8)

(p = 5.6 1015 s1 = 5.9 1012 erg = 3.7 eV.)

c) The material has no absorption except at 5 eV, so it is not of a particular

color. 1 is largest at the high-energy end of the visible spectrum; at 3.1

eV, it is 4.4. The index of refraction is n = 1 = 2.1 (since 2 = 0 here).

The reflection coefficient is
r=

n + iK 1
= 0.35
n + iK + 1

Most light is transmitted, so the crystal looks transparent.

2

(9)

3. a)
p =

m c2
4nS e2

1/2

= 1.7 105 cm = 1700

A

(10)

b)
Eg = 3.52kB TC = 4.9 1016 erg = 3.0 104 eV

(11)

1/3
2
hvF
2
h2
=
3 2 n
= 4.9 105 cm = 4900
A
Eg
Eg m

(12)

c)
0 =

(vF = 3.6 107 cm/s; F = 5.8 1013 erg = 0.36 eV.)

d) The ratio p /0 = 0.35. Since it is less than 1, it is a Type I superconductor.