Statistical Description of Fermi System over a Surface in a Uniform External Field

Abstract

A statistical approach to the description of the thermodynamic properties of the Fermi particle system occupying a half-space over a plane of finite size in a uniform external field is proposed. The number of particles per unit area is assumed to be arbitrary, in particular, small. General formulas are obtained for entropy, energy, thermodynamic potential, heat capacities under various conditions and the distribution of the particle number density over the surface. In the continuum limit of a large surface area, the temperature dependences of heat capacities and density distribution are calculated. The cases of gravitational and electric fields are considered.