The compton scattering and the new statistics

Abstract

Great success has been achieved by Sommerfeld in the electron theory of metals by assuming that there are free electrons in them which obey the Fermi-Dirac statistics. It has been assumed in the case of univalent metals that on the average one electron per atom is free. In general, however, the valency electrons can be considered as free. These free electrons will take part in the Compton scattering. The analysis of such a Compton effect reduces to the analysis of the collisions between radiation quanta and an electron gas. The general features of such a scattering was first considered by Dirac. But he has assumed a Maxwellian distribution for the electrons which will not be applicable to the case under consideration, because the electrons in a conductor being degenerate do not obey the Maxwell's law, but the Fermian distribution. In considering such a process we take it that the conservation of momentum and energy principles are satisfied for each particular collision just as in Compton's theory—only we are here dealing with moving electrons instead of stationary electrons which Compton considers. Thus electrons of different momenta components will produce different Compton shifts, and the intensity of any particular shift will depend on the number of electrons in that state. Thus we have to average for the radiation falling on an assembly of electrons whose momenta are distributed according to the Fermi-Dirac law.