Drude model [SEP] named after
Drude model
The Drude model of electrical conduction was proposed in 1900 by Paul Drude to explain the transport properties of electrons in materials (especially metals). The model, which is an application of kinetic theory, assumes that the microscopic behavior of electrons in a solid may be treated classically and looks much like a pinball machine, with a sea of constantly jittering electrons bouncing and re-bouncing off heavier, relatively immobile positive ions.
The two most significant results of the Drude model are an electronic equation of motion,
“epoch-making advance in natural science.”
In 1900 he developed a powerful model to explain the thermal, electrical, and optical properties of matter. The Drude model would be further advanced in 1933 by Arnold Sommerfeld and Hans Bethe.
Honors.
- The crater Drude on the Moon is named after him.
- The Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, in Berlin, was named in his honor.
Bibliography.
- "Lehrbuch der Optik", Leipzig, 1906.
Sources