electronic specific heat
Quick Summary
Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. In physics, the electronic specific heat (Ce) refers to the portion of this heat that is used to increase the energy of conduction electrons within a material.12
In normal conductors, mobile electrons are scattered by impurities and lattice vibrations, which affects their energy. However, in superconductors, these electrons form ordered pairs (Cooper pairs) that prevent scattering, allowing electric current to flow without resistance. The electronic specific heat in a superconductor (Ces) differs from that in a normal conductor (Cen). At low temperatures, Ces is smaller than Cen, but as the temperature approaches the transition point where the material becomes superconducting (Tc), Ces becomes larger than Cen. This behavior suggests a minimum energy is needed to excite electrons in a superconductor.2
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