Realization of electron degeneracy effects as virtual upshifting in the ionization energies in the classical Saha equation.
We explain that the effects of electron degeneracy on the calculation of ionization equilibrium can be implemented and simply realized as virtual upshifting in the ionization energies in the classical Saha equation. Previous quantitative findings indicating depressed quantum statistical ionization compared to classical ionization are derived and abstracted in an analytical form. A simple ready-to-use approximate formula for the upshifting in ionization energies due to partial degeneracy is presented and used to work a sample problem.
Zaghloul
Mofreh R
MR
Department of Physics, College of Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 17551, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.