Is There Such a Thing As Absolute Hot?

AlpineR writes "Is there an opposite to absolute zero? An article from PBS's NOVA online explains several theories of the maximum possible temperature. Maybe it's the Planck temperature, 10^32 K, beyond which the known laws of physics break down. Or maybe just 10^30 K, the limit of some versions of string theory. If space is actually 11-dimensional then the maximum temperature could even be as low as 10^17 K, attainable by the Large Hadron Collider. Or maybe infinite temperature wraps around to negative temperature and absolute hot is the same as absolute cold."

Comments

Different beast methinks

[Fieryphoenix]

While it may well be that there is a maximum "energy density" for a particular space, it would not really be a true opposite to absolute zero. Absolute zero represents complete cessation of motion... a true opposite would be infinite motion (obviously not infinite velocity). Also, it seems quite possible that whatever upper limit exists at one particular time in one particular space may differ from another... either varying as the universe ages, with whatever gravitational field may exist locally, or at the very least in different universes that may exist. As such, while absolute zero is just that... absolute (in that no heat is no heat under all conceivable reference points), "absolute heat" almost certainly does not uniformly exist. I suppose another way to say is that if you plug absolute zero in as the value in a mathematical calculation, you will always get the same result, but there is no one value "absolute heat" corresponding, which can closely approach actually existing in our universe.

Re:Caution: I am not a physicist.

[KefabiMe]

What happens when we add energy to the speed of a particle? When the speed gets closer and closer to the speed of light, the mass starts increasing.

Here's the important part that you probably already know. When an object nears the speed of light, the mass starts increasing. We can't cross the speed of light because more and more energy is required to accelerate the object.

Note that we can keep putting (unlimited amounts of) energy into the object and it will never go faster than light.

My theory? When so much energy is put into such a small space, it hits a form where the energy resonates and becomes primarily matter without any energy left over for movement. (Sound familiar? Absolute Hot and Absolute Cold are the same thing?) Matter, acceleration, velocity, temperature, energy... it's all the same thing just in different forms. =)

Re:Speed

[Cyberax]

>All this, of course, is purely theoretical and can never be accomplished because it's hard to accelerate any particle infinitely. But according to relativistic physics, an infinite temperature can exist.

No, relativity requires the application of infinite energy to reach the infinite temperature, just like classic mechanics. For this very reason it's impossible to reach it - you don't have the source of infinite energy in our Universe (probably).

However, quantum mechanics has _another_ theoretical limit. I don't really know its precise reason, but this 'handwaving' argument holds: imagine that you have a particle with VERY large speed. The mass of this particle can be large enough to create a black hole. And it will immediately start to lose mass due to Hawking radiation, which will be directed along the path of the black hole (due to relativistic focusing) in the opposite direction (it'll look like black hole with retrorockets).

So it's not possible to reach the infinite speed because our Universe seems to have the _maximum_ allowed finite speed.

Re:Spoiled It

[rangek]

The whole point of "absolute zero" is that there _are_ no negative temperatures.

If it were that simple....

And here is more...

So there is negative temperature. It is just not what you think it is.

God Wrote in Lisp

[naoursla]

http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/eternal-flame.html

I was taught assembler
in my second year of school.
It's kinda like construction work --
with a toothpick for a tool.
So when I made my senior year,
I threw my code away,
And learned the way to program
that I still prefer today.

Now, some folks on the Internet
put their faith in C++.
They swear that it's so powerful,
it's what God used for us.
And maybe it lets mortals dredge
their objects from the C.
But I think that explains
why only God can make a tree.

For God wrote in Lisp code
When he filled the leaves with green.
The fractal flowers and recursive roots:
The most lovely hack I've seen.
And when I ponder snowflakes,
never finding two the same,
I know God likes a language
with its own four-letter name.

Now, I've used a SUN under Unix,
so I've seen what C can hold.
I've surfed for Perls, found what Fortran's for,
Got that Java stuff down cold.
Though the chance that I'd write COBOL code
is a SNOBOL's chance in Hell.
And I basically hate hieroglyphs,
so I won't use APL.

Now, God must know all these languages,
and a few I haven't named.
But the Lord made sure, when each sparrow falls,
that its flesh will be reclaimed.
And the Lord could not count grains of sand
with a 32-bit word.
Who knows where we would go to
if Lisp weren't what he preferred?

And God wrote in Lisp code
Every creature great and small.
Don't search the disk drive for man.c,
When the listing's on the wall.
And when I watch the lightning burn
Unbelievers to a crisp,
I know God had six days to work,
So he wrote it all in Lisp.

Yes, God had a deadline.
So he wrote it all in Lisp.