Drift Velocity Drift Current and Electron Mobility

The definition of drift velocity can be understood by imagining the random motion of free electrons inside a conductor. The free electrons inside a conductor moves with random velocities and in random directions. When an electric field is applied across the conductor the randomly moving electrons are subjected to electrical forces along the direction of the field. Due to this field, the electrons do not give up their randomness of motion but they will be shifting towards higher potential. That means the electrons will drift towards higher potential along with their random motions. Thus every electron will have a net velocity towards higher potential end of the conductor and this net velocity is referred as drift velocity of electrons. Hopping you understand definition of drift velocity. The current due to this drift movement of electrons inside an electrically stressed conductor, is known as drift current. It is need less to say that every electric current flows through conductor is drift current

Drift Velocity and Mobility

There are always some free electrons inside any metal at room temperature. More scientifically, at any temperature above the absolute zero there must be at least some free electrons if the substance is conductive in nature such as metal. These free electrons inside the conductor move randomly and frequently collide with heavier atoms and change their direction of motion every time. When a steady electric field is applied to the conductor, the electrons start moving towards positive terminal of the appliedpotential difference. But this movement electrons is not through the straight way. During traveling towards positive potential the electrons conterminously collide with the atoms and bounced back in a random fashion. During collision the electrons lose some of their kinetic energy and again due to presence of electric field they are re-accelerated towards the positive potential and regain their kinetic energy. Again during further collision the electrons partly lose their kinetic energy in same manner. Thus the applied electric field can not stop the random motion of the electrons inside a conductor. Although in presence of applied electric field, the motion of the electrons is still random, but there will be over all resultant movement of electrons towards positive terminals. In other words, the applied electric field makes the electrons to drift towards positive terminal. That means the electrons get an average drift velocity

If electric field intensity is increased the electrons are accelerated more rapidly towards positive potential after each collision. Consequently the electrons gain more average drift velocity towards positive potential i.e. in the direction opposite to the applied electric field.

If ν is the drift velocity and E is the applied electric field

then ν ∝ E ⇒ ν = μe.E

Where μe is referred as electron mobility.

Animation of Drift Velocity Drift Current and Electron Mobility

Electron Mobility in Conductor

The electric current caused by the steady flow of electrons due to drift velocity is called drift current