ohmios

Ohmios are a hypothetical class of quasiparticles used in speculative physics and science fiction to describe a mechanism of electrical resistance in conductive media. The term blends the unit 'ohm' with the common naming convention for quasiparticles, and has appeared in theoretical thought experiments and worldbuilding literature as a way to model dissipative processes beyond lattice vibrations.

In the proposed framework, an ohmio emerges from the interaction between itinerant electrons and a fluctuating disordered field associated with microscopic imperfections. An ohmio can transfer momentum to electrons and dissipate kinetic energy into the lattice or electromagnetic modes, thereby contributing to resistance. Models assign it a dispersion relation and a finite lifetime that depend on temperature, disorder, and external fields.

Theoretical status: There is no experimental evidence for ohmios in real materials; the concept remains speculative and is mainly used in thought experiments and fiction. Critics note that such models must avoid duplicating established mechanisms for resistance, such as electron-phonon scattering and defect scattering, while proponents argue that ohmios provide a compact abstraction for dissipative processes in complex systems.

Potential implications include the design of tunable resistance devices or simulators of dissipative dynamics, where external controls could alter ohmio density or energy exchange to modulate impedance. Related topics include electrical resistance, quasiparticles, phonons, and electron scattering.