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I apologize if my question is silly but here it is.

In the physics of atoms and molecules, we learn about the Stark effect which induces a splitting of degenerate energy levels into sub-energy levels having different polarization state.

In most textbooks on solid state physics, the band structure of the energy levels of solids is brought up by considering them as big big molecules...which is not false from a certain point of view at least.

I was therefore wondering if the effect of an electric field on a solid could not be seen first as a Stark effect splitting all the possible energy levels which then, if considered with statistical mechanics tools and the periodicity of the system, leads to charge current flowing in it.

How wrong is that idea?

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  • $\begingroup$ In a solid you don't need the stark effect to split energy levels. The periodicity of the lattice (i.e. the large number of particles) does that for you. Applying an electric field on the continuum of states doesn't change much, maybe the stark effect is then ineffective. $\endgroup$
    – ChocoPouce
    May 5, 2014 at 13:24

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