In: Physics
Thermal energy ~ kT , where T is the absolute temperature (Kelvin) and k is Boltzmann's constant is an important benchmark... it is the energy available to electrons from their surroundings by virtue of random thermal motion.
The value of kT at room temperature is 0.026 eV or 26 meV.
What is the size, L, of the 3-D "box" in nanometers (a cube of side L) such that the energy difference between the ground state (1,1,1) and the first excited state (1,1,2) is about kT at room temperature?
The energy of the n th state in the 3D box is given by
So, the energy of the ground state (1,1,1) is given by
And the energy of the 1st excited state (1,1,2) is given by
So, the difference between these two energies is given by
And if this of the order of kT, then, we get
And so, putting the given values,
we get the size L as