repoman
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Just a random thought. I know it is a complex topic, but degeneracy pressure is a very opaque term. Imagine that what degeneracy and degeneracy pressure were freshly discovered but not yet named, what is a better name for this?
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Is there a better term for electron and other degeneracy pressure?
- Thread starter repoman
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steve_bank
Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
He who comes up with something gets to name it. Electron O belive goes back to the Greeks who played with static electricity for fun.
We have a limited language and words have many contexts. The term 'imaginary numbers' causes a lot of confusion and subjective interpretation by those who do not know math.
When in doubt look at an equation....
We have a limited language and words have many contexts. The term 'imaginary numbers' causes a lot of confusion and subjective interpretation by those who do not know math.
When in doubt look at an equation....
Epic pressure! 
lpetrich
Contributor
The term electricity was invented by William Gilbert (1544-1603), in his book on electricity and magnetism, 
De Magnete. He did a lot of research into electricity and magnetism, like show that the Earth's magnetic field is generated in its interior. He is the one who coined the term "electricity". He coined it from his researches into static electricity, something that could be produced by rubbing amber. The Greek word for amber is elektron, and he coined "electricity" from that word. Thus making electricity the amber effect.
Likewise, he coined "magnet" from Magnesia, in what is now Turkey, a place where one can find lodestones, magnetic rocks that were used for centuries as compasses. Thus making magnetism the Magnesia effect. He considered a recently-discovered effect, magnetic dip, from how the Earth's magnetic field is horizontal near the equator and more and more vertical closer and closer to the poles. That led him to suspect that this magnetic field is generated in the Earth's interior, and he made a ball of lodestone that he called a "terrella", a mini-Earth. He then used another lodestone to see which way its magnetic field was directed, and he found magnetic dip there also.
De Magnete. He did a lot of research into electricity and magnetism, like show that the Earth's magnetic field is generated in its interior. He is the one who coined the term "electricity". He coined it from his researches into static electricity, something that could be produced by rubbing amber. The Greek word for amber is elektron, and he coined "electricity" from that word. Thus making electricity the amber effect.Likewise, he coined "magnet" from Magnesia, in what is now Turkey, a place where one can find lodestones, magnetic rocks that were used for centuries as compasses. Thus making magnetism the Magnesia effect. He considered a recently-discovered effect, magnetic dip, from how the Earth's magnetic field is horizontal near the equator and more and more vertical closer and closer to the poles. That led him to suspect that this magnetic field is generated in the Earth's interior, and he made a ball of lodestone that he called a "terrella", a mini-Earth. He then used another lodestone to see which way its magnetic field was directed, and he found magnetic dip there also.
lpetrich
Contributor
Returning to the OP's question, I have an alternative: metallic state.
That's because valence electrons in metals are in a degenerate state, not being localized to any particular atom but instead wandering through the material. These wandering electrons can make an electric current and they can carry heat energy. This explains the high electrical and thermal conductivities of metals.
The two are related by the Wiedemann–Franz law
(thermal conductivity) / (electrical conductivity) = (constant) * (temperature)
where the constant is the same for all materials.
Nonmetals have non-degenerate valence electrons, but with enough pressure, they will become degenerate. The most-discussed metallicity transition is that of hydrogen, but it has also been observed for other chemical elements: Metallization pressure lists both calculations and observations.
With increasing pressure, more and more of an atom's electrons become degenerate, unbound to that atom, until all of them are.
That's because valence electrons in metals are in a degenerate state, not being localized to any particular atom but instead wandering through the material. These wandering electrons can make an electric current and they can carry heat energy. This explains the high electrical and thermal conductivities of metals.
The two are related by the
Wiedemann–Franz law(thermal conductivity) / (electrical conductivity) = (constant) * (temperature)
where the constant is the same for all materials.
Nonmetals have non-degenerate valence electrons, but with enough pressure, they will become degenerate. The most-discussed metallicity transition is that of hydrogen, but it has also been observed for other chemical elements:
Metallization pressure lists both calculations and observations.With increasing pressure, more and more of an atom's electrons become degenerate, unbound to that atom, until all of them are.
Bomb#20
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How about "exclusion pressure"? Degeneracy pressure is a consequence of the Pauli exclusion principle.