3 ms·
I don't have a good mental model of solids at very high pressures. Temperature is a measure of kinetic energy, but because the atoms are squeezed closer togethe
by tlb 11y ago
I don't have a good mental model of solids at very high pressures. Temperature is a measure of kinetic energy, but because the atoms are squeezed closer together the stiffness of the lattice is higher, therefore the displacement due thermal vibrations at a given temperature is less.
I wonder if the displacement at 203K and 1.5M atm is similar to the displacement at which conventional BCS superconductors operate.
- jessriedel 11y agoThis is a really interesting framing. If it's the correct way to think about things, it would really put a damper on the importance of warm-temperatures/extreme-pressure superconductors.
- dunkelheit 11y agoActually in thermodynamic terms temperature is a measure of how entropy (disorder) increases when you increase internal energy. Not the most intuitive definition (you can't just go and buy entropyometer for example ;)) but it works even when quantum effects kick in. And for ideal gas this measure happens to be proportional to the kinetic energy of the particles.