Thermodynamic properties of ultra-small metallic particles

The thermodynamic properties of ultra-small metallic particles within an ensemble are affected by the level distribution and the level correlation between the discrete electronic energy levels. The specific heat and spin susceptibility of ultra-small metallic particles in the canonical ensemble with an odd or even number of electrons are numerically calculated by considering the effects of the level statistics, and their behaviour at low and high temperatures is also discussed. As an example, the specific heat and spin susceptibility of nano-Al particles are calculated numerically in this paper.