Home General Asylum

General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ General Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Re: Cryo skin effect?


"The mean free path of the electrons tends to increase as the temp goes down"

Help me out here, this seems couterintuitive.

As the matter is cooled, it condenses, with less free space between molecules. But the atoms comprising the molecules don't change, do they?

Is it that the cooling induced proximity allows free electrons to visit or interact with the neighboring atoms or molecules more readily?

At higher temperatures, the thermal energy causes the crystal lattice to vibrate which has the effect of scattering electrons, reducing their mean free path, and increasing resistance.

As you reduce temperature, there's less lattice vibration, less scattering of electrons, an increased mean free path and a decreasing resistance.

Lattice imperfections and impurities however will limit the ultimate resistance of the conductor.


Are "free" electrons what makes a material conductive? And is it correct that electrons don't flow, they just kinda tap the next guy on the shoulder?

Yeah, free electrons are the conduction mechanism in metals.

As for the latter part, the electrons are basically banging around all over the place in all directions. When current flows, what happens is that the electrons, while they're still banging around in all directions take on a net drift in the direction of the current flow.

se





This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Kimber Kable  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]