Materials & Properties: Thermal & Electrical Characteristics

TL;DR

This paper introduces fundamental concepts of electrical conductivity, surface resistance, and thermal conductivity in metals, emphasizing their relevance in accelerator physics and RF applications.

Contribution

It provides an integrated overview of electrical and thermal properties of materials, linking microscopic physics to practical applications in accelerators and RF technology.

Findings

Surface resistance relates to beam impedance and RF applications.

Thermal conductivity involves electron and phonon contributions.

Limits of electrical and thermal properties are discussed.

Abstract

This lecture gives an introduction to the basic physics of the electrical conductivity of metals, its temperature dependence and its limiting factors. We will then introduce the concept of surface resistance, of high relevance in accelerators for its link with beam impedance and for RF applications, including notions related to the anomalous skin effect. The surface resistance will help establishing a link to heat exchanges between bodies by radiation, and to the concept of emissivity. Thermal conductivity will then be introduced, discussing both its electron and phonon exchange components, and the relevant limiting factors.