Drift velocity

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The drift velocity is the average velocity that a particle, such as an electron, attains due to an electric field. It can also be referred to as axial drift velocity since particles defined are assumed to be moving along a plane. In general, an electron will rattle around in a conductor at the Fermi velocity randomly. An applied electric field will give this random motion a small net velocity in one direction. In a semiconductor, the two main carrier scattering mechanisms are ionized impurity scattering and lattice scattering. Because current is proportional to drift velocity, which is, in turn, proportional to the magnitude of an external electric field, Ohm's law can be explained in terms of drift velocity. Drift velocity is expressed in the following equations:

where is the current density, units V/m).

is charge density (in units C/m3 ), and

is the drift velocity, and where

is the electron mobility (in units (m^2)/V*s) and

is the electric field (in

Contents
1 Mathematical formula 2 Numerical example 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Mathematical formula
The formula for evaluating the drift velocity of charge carriers in a material of constant cross-sectional area is given by:

where v is the drift velocity of electrons, I is the current flowing through the material, n is the charge-carrier density, A is the area of cross-section of the material and q is the charge on the charge-carrier. In terms of the basic properties of the right-cylindrical current-carrying metallic conductor, where the charge-carriers are electrons, this expression can be rewritten as:

where,

v is again the drift velocity of the electrons, in ms1; M is the molar mass of the metal, in kgmol1; V is the voltage applied across the conductor, in V; NA is Avogadros number, in mol1; d is the density (mass per unit volume) of the conductor, in kgm3; e is the fundamental electric charge, in C; 0 is the resistivity of the conductor at 0C, in m; 0 is the temperature coefficent of resistivity of the conductor at 0C, in K1; T is the temperature of the conductor, in C, is the length of the conductor, in m; and f is the number of free electrons released by each atom.

Numerical example
Electricity is most commonly conducted in a copper wire. Copper has a density of 8.94 g/cm, and an atomic weight of 63.546 g/mol, so there are 140685.5 mol/m. In 1 mole of any element there are 6.021023 atoms (Avogadro's constant). Therefore in 1m of copper there are about 8.51028 atoms (6.021023 140685.5 mol/m). Copper has one free electron per atom, so n is equal to 8.51028 electrons per m. Assume a current I = 3 amperes, and a wire of 1 mm diameter (radius in meters = 0.0005m). This wire has a cross sectional area of 7.85107 m2 (A = 0.00052). The charge of 1 electron is q=1.61019 Coulombs. The drift velocity therefore can be calculated:

Analysed dimensionally: [v] = [amperes] / ( [electron/m3] [m2] [coulombs/electron] ) = [coulombs] / ( [seconds] [electron/m3 ] [m2] [coulombs/electron] ) = [coulombs] / ( [seconds] [meters-1] [coulombs] )

= [meters] / [second] Therefore in this wire the electrons are flowing at the rate of 0.00029 m/s, or very nearly 1.0 m/hour. By comparison, the Fermi velocity of these electrons (which, at room temperature, can be thought of as their approximate velocity in the absence of electric current) is around 1570 km/s.
[1]

In the case of alternating current, the direction of electron drift switches with the frequency of the current. In the example above, if the current were to alternate with the frequency of F = 60 Hz, drift velocity would likewise vary in a sine-wave pattern, and electrons would fluctuate about their initial positions with the amplitude of:

See also
Electron mobility Speed of electricity Drift chamber Guiding center

References
1. ^ http://230nsc1.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/ohmmic.html Ohm's Law, Microscopic View, retrieved Feb 14, 2009

External links
Ohm's Law: Microscopic View (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/ohmmic.html) at Hyperphysics Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Drift_velocity&oldid=558881357" Categories: Condensed matter physics This page was last modified on 8 June 2013 at 08:52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.