Resistivity of a Simple Metal from Room Temperature to ${10}^6$ K

The resistivity of nearly solid-density Al was measured as a function of temperature over 4 orders of magnitudfe above ambient by observing the self-reflection of an intense, <0.5 psec, 308-nm light pulse incident on a planar Al target. As an increasing function of electron temperature, the resistivity is observed initially to increase, reach a maximum which is relatively constant over an extended temperature range, and then decrease at the highest temperatures. The broad maximum is interpreted as "resistivity saturation," a condition in which the mean free path of the conduction electrons reaches a minimum value as a function of temperature, regardless of the extent of any further disorder in the material.