On the interaction of a black-body radiation field with a photoconductor

In this article we consider the problem of how to reconcile the Bose-Einstein statistics of the incident radiation field with the Fermi-Dirac statistics of the electron population in a photoconductor which is in equilibrium with the radiation field. A Langevin approach is followed, based on Einstein's rate equations. Results for the noise sources associated with absorption, stimulated emission, and spontaneous emission, are derived. These results are shown to be consistent with the Fermi-Dirac statistics of the electron processes; also, the various sources are shown to reconstitute the black-body radiation field.