Solids: Thermal expansion and contraction

Abstract

For most close-packed crystals, the thermal expansion coefficient varies with temperature in much the same manner as the heat capacity although the magnitude is largely controlled by the elastic moduli. The macroscopic picture is fairly clear even when the microscopic description in terms of interatomic forces is rather intractable. More varied effects arise in the ‘open’ structures of diamond-like solids, vitreous silica, anisotropic crystals, many magnetic materials, heavy-electron metals and some superconductors.