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In physics, drift velocity is the average velocity attained by charged particles, such as electrons, in a material due to an electric field. In general, an electron in a conductor will propagate randomly at the Fermi velocity, resulting in an average velocity of zero. Applying an electric field adds to this random motion a small net flow in one ...
The electron mobility is defined by the equation: =. where: E is the magnitude of the electric field applied to a material, v d is the magnitude of the electron drift velocity (in other words, the electron drift speed) caused by the electric field, and; μ e is the electron mobility.
where D is the diffusion coefficient for the electron in the considered medium, n is the number of electrons per unit volume (i.e. number density), q is the magnitude of charge of an electron, μ is electron mobility in the medium, and E = −dΦ/dx (Φ potential difference) is the electric field as the potential gradient of the electric potential.
The drift velocity deals with the average velocity of a particle, such as an electron, due to an electric field. In general, an electron will propagate randomly in a conductor at the Fermi velocity. [5] Free electrons in a conductor follow a random path. Without the presence of an electric field, the electrons have no net velocity.
In other words, the electrical mobility of the particle is defined as the ratio of the drift velocity to the magnitude of the electric field: =. For example, the mobility of the sodium ion (Na + ) in water at 25 °C is 5.19 × 10 −8 m 2 /(V·s) . [ 1 ]
After a collision event, the distribution of the velocity and direction of an electron is determined by only the local temperature and is independent of the velocity of the electron before the collision event. [Ashcroft & Mermin 12] The electron is considered to be immediately at equilibrium with the local temperature after a collision.
In electromagnetism, current density is the amount of charge per unit time that flows through a unit area of a chosen cross section. [1] The current density vector is defined as a vector whose magnitude is the electric current per cross-sectional area at a given point in space, its direction being that of the motion of the positive charges at this point.
The drift velocity, and resulting current, is characterized by the mobility; for details, see electron mobility (for solids) or electrical mobility (for a more general discussion). See drift–diffusion equation for the way that the drift current, diffusion current, and carrier generation and recombination are combined into a single equation.