LECTURE 10 slide 1

Lecture 10

Current Density
Ohms Law in Differential Form
Sections: 5.1, 5.2, 5.3
Homework: See homework file
LECTURE 10 slide 2
Electric Direct Current Review
DC is the flow of charge under Coulomb (electrostatic) forces in
conductors
the electrostatic force is provided by external sources: battery,
charged capacitor
Georg Simon Ohm was the 1
st
to observe and explain the lack of
charge acceleration in metals electrons move with uniform averaged
speed (drift velocity)
LECTURE 10 slide 3
Current Density
the current flowing through the cross-section s of a conductor
is the amount of transferred charge Q per unit time
1
( )
, A=C s
s
Q
I
t

A
A
=
A
, C
v v v
V L
Q V s L s v t
A A
A = A = A A = A A
( )
, A
n
s v
J
Q
I v s
t

A
A
= = A
A
( )
where
s n
I J s
A
= A
2
, A/m
n v
J v =
the current density is a vector
2
, A/m
v
= J v
n n
J = J a
e
e
e
e
e
e
s A
L v t A = A
e
e
Q A
V A
dQ
I
dt
=
I
current density,
normal component
LECTURE 10 slide 4
Current and Current Density
the current I is the flux of the current density J
, A
S
I d =
}}
J s
( )

s n
I I J s dI d
A
A = = A = A = J s J s
Two cylindrical wires are connected in series. Current I = 10
A flows through the junction. The radii of the wires are: r
1
=
1 mm, r
2
= 2 mm. Find the current densities J
1
and J
2
in the
two wires.
LECTURE 10 slide 5
Charge Mobility
charge velocity in a conductor depends on the charge mobility
, , , m/s
e e h h i i
= = = v E v E v E
metals support electron current
semiconductors support both electron and hole currents
most electrolytes support both electron and ion currents
in general plasmas support both electron and ion currents
mobility may in general depend on E (nonlinear conductors)
drift electron velocity in metals: v
d
=
e
E
LECTURE 10 slide 6
Specific Conductivity 1
( ) , ,
e e p p e e p p
p h i
o
= + = + J v v E note:
e
< 0
specific conductivity depends on the free-charge density and its
mobility
1
, S/m=( m)
e e p p
o

= + O
charge density depends on the number of charge carriers per unit
volume (number density), e.g.,
e
= eN
e
semi
( )
e e h p
N N e o = +
metal e e
N e o =
19
1.6022 10 , C e

~
in pure semiconductors N
e
= N
h
LECTURE 10 slide 7
Specific Conductivity 2
typical carrier number densities, mobilities, conductivities (low
frequency, below THz)

h
N
e
(m
3
)

N
h
(m
3
) (S/m)
pure Ge 0.39 0.19 2.4x10
19
2.4x10
19
2.2
pure Si 0.14 0.05 1.4x10
16
1.4x10
16
4.4x10
4
Cu 0.0032 1.13x10
29
5.8x10
7
Al 0.0015 1.46x10
29
3.5x10
7
Ag 0.005 7.74x10
28
6.2x10
7
Homework: What is the drift velocity of electrons in a Cu wire of
length 10 cm if the voltage applied to both ends of the wire is 1 V.
(Ans.: 3.2 cm/s. Wire may melt if too thin!)

7
Au
4.5 10 S/m o =
LECTURE 10 slide 8
Ohms Law in Point (Differential) Form
o = J E
Ohms law in circuits
/ , A I GV V R = =
assume uniform current distribution in the cross-section of the
conductor between points A and B
I J s = , | |
AB AB AB
V
V E l
l
= = = E L L
1
G R
s
I Js sE V
l
o o

=
= = =
1
,
s l
G R
l s
o
o
= =
use Ohms law in point form to arrive at Ohms law for resistors
conductance/resistance of a conductor of length l, constant cross-section s, and
constant current density distribution in s
LECTURE 10 slide 9
General Expression for Resistance
,
B
A
s
d
V
R
I
d

= = O

}
}}
E l
J s
,
B
A
s
d
R
d o

= O

}
}}
E l
E s
in homogeneous medium
1
,
B
A
s
d
R
d
o

= O

}
}}
E l
E s
1
, S
s
B
A
d
G R
d
o

= =

}}
}
E s
E l
LECTURE 10 slide 10
DC Resistance per Unit Length
twin-lead line
1
2 ,
1
2 , /m
L
R
A
R
A
o
o
A
= O
'
= O
coaxial line
2 2 2
2 2 2
1 1
,
( )
1 1 1
, /m
L L
R
a c b
R
a c b
o t o t
ot
A A
= + O

| |
'
= + O
|

\ .
L A
I
I
A
A
a
b
I
c
I
LECTURE 10 slide 11
Homework: Resistance per Unit Length
Find the resistance per unit length of a coaxial cable whose inner
wire is of radius a = 0.5 mm and whose shield has inner radius b
= 4 mm and outer radius c = 4.5 mm. Both the inner wire and
the shield are made of copper (
Cu
= 5.8x10
7
S/m).

ANS: 21 m/m
LECTURE 10 slide 12
consider the current flowing through a closed surface
[ ] v
s
I d =
}}
J s
total positive flux corresponds to an outflow of charge (charge
inside volume decreases)
[ ]
encl
v
s
dQ
I d
dt
= =
}}
J s
NOTE THE NEGATIVE SIGN!
Conservation of Charge/Continuity of Current 1
in circuits we assume that no charge accumulates at nodes
1 2
[ ] 1 2
3
3
0
v
I I I
s s s s
I d d d d

= = + + =
}} }} }} }}
J s J s J s J s
Kirchhoffs current law follows
from conservation of charge
0
n
n
I =

s
1
s
3
s
2
s
1
I
3
I
2
I
continuity of current (conservation
of charge) in integral form
LECTURE 10 slide 13
Conservation of Charge/Continuity of Current 2
apply Gauss (divergence) theorem to conservation of charge law
[ ]
inside
v
v
s v v
dQ d
I d dv dv
dt dt
= = V = =
}} }}} }}}
J s J
v
t
c
V =
c
J
continuity of current (conservation
of charge) in point form
the equation of charge relaxation
hm hm
1
( ) , also ( )
v v v
v
t t

c o
c o
c c
V = V = V = V =
c c
D J
E E E E
0
v
v
t
o

c
c
+ =
c
/
0 0
( ) , /
t
t
t e e
o
t
c
t c o


= = =
charge relaxation constant
LECTURE 10 slide 14
Charge Relaxation
/ t c o =
consider an isolated conductor into which some charge Q
0
is
injected initially
Coulomb forces push the charge carriers apart until they re-
distribute and settle on the surface
the process continues until no free charge is left inside the
conductor
the time for this to happen is about 3 where
this is also the time required to discharge a charged capacitor
through a shorting conductor
LECTURE 10 slide 15
Charge Relaxation Illustrated
Example: Calculate the time required to restore charge neutrality
in Cu where =
0
and = 5.8x10
7
S/m.
12
19
0
7
3 8.8542 10
3 3 / 4.6 10 , s
5.8 10
T t c o

= = = ~

0 5 10 15 20
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
time (s)
e
x
p
(
-
t
/
t
)
t = 3
1/e
curve tangent at t = 0,
intersects time axis at t =
3 s t =
( )
0
/
0
0
t
t
d
e
dt
t

=
=
0
1 =
LECTURE 10 slide 16
Joules Law in Differential Form
consider sufficiently small volume v = s L where the E-field
and the charge density
v
are constant
since charge is moving with uniform drift velocity u
d
, the E-field
does work on the charge (this work is converted into heat)
, J
e e
W Q w v A = A = A
F
E L
power is work done per unit time
, W
e e
d
W w v Q
P v Q
t t t
p
A A A
A = = A = = =
A A A
E L
E u
power density
3
, W/m
v
d
d
Q
v
p

= = =
A
E u
E u E J
Joules law in differential form: dissipated power per unit volume
2 3
( ) | | , W/m p o o = = = E J E E E
LECTURE 10 slide 17
Joules Law in Integral Form
2
| | , W
v v v
P pdv dv dv o = = =
}}} }}} }}}
E J E
power dissipated in conductors
, W
L S
P EdL Jds V I = =
} }}
p dv
v S L
P dsdL EJdLds = =
}}} }} }
E J
Joules law in circuit theory
assume that in a piece of conductor, E does not depend on the
cross-section, only J (or ) does, while J (or ) does not
depend on the length
assume that E and J are collinear
LECTURE 10 slide 18
You have learned:
what current density is and how it relates to the total current
how to compute the resistance/conductance of conducting bodies
that drift velocity of charge in conductors is proportional to the
strength of E and the coefficient of proportionality is the mobility
what specific conductivity is and how it relates J to E through
Ohms law in differential (point) form
that charge is preserved and the rate of change of the charge
density determines the divergence of the current density
(continuity of current in point form)
what charge relaxation is and how it depends on the permittivity
and conductivity of the material
how to find from the E field the dissipated power using Joules law