Conductivity of metals at 0 kelvin?

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At absolute zero (0 Kelvin), the conductivity of metals theoretically approaches infinity, meaning resistivity approaches zero, due to the absence of lattice vibrations. However, in practice, impurities and defects in real metals lead to residual resistivity, preventing conductivity from being truly infinite. The discussion highlights the complexities of measuring conductivity at such low temperatures, emphasizing that applying voltage introduces energy, which disrupts the zero temperature state. The uncertainty principle plays a critical role in understanding entropy at 0 Kelvin, suggesting that while entropy can be low, it is not necessarily zero due to quantum mechanical effects. Overall, the conductivity of metals at 0 Kelvin is a nuanced topic that depends on the purity of the metal and the theoretical versus experimental contexts.
  • #31
mfb said:
It can be different from zero (with a degenerate ground-state), but it does not have to.

I don't think there are actual thermodynamical systems whose true ground state is degenerate. Usually at sufficiently low temperatures some very weak interactions break the degeneracy.
 
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  • #32
That is true. I just keep track of that special case as it is not forbidden.
 
  • #33
It is possible to calculate that all physical wavefunctions satisfy the (p,x)-uncertainty principle. This is related to the mathematics of Fourier transformations. Alternatively, it is possible to derive it in a pure algebraic way as well.
every one knows that.
Source?
It been time.I think it was written in vol. 1 of his and early chapters.
 
  • #34
andrien said:
I think it was written in vol. 1 of his and early chapters.

If you could provide a page number, chapter number or something like that that would be helpful, but either way I'm going to check this out when i next visit a suitable library, because i would have expected better of Feynman!
 
  • #35
psmt said:
i would have expected better of Feynman!

He was unambiguously referring to zero point energy, not entropy.
 

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