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Title: Maximal temperature in a simple thermodynamical system

Journal Article · · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
 [1];  [2]
  1. Institute of Natural Sciences, Shanghai Key Lab for Particle Physics and Cosmology, and Center for Astrophysics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)
  2. HEPCOS, Department of Physics, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-1500 (United States)

Temperature in a simple thermodynamical system is not limited from above. It is also widely believed that it does not make sense talking about temperatures higher than the Planck temperature in the absence of the full theory of quantum gravity. Here, we demonstrate that there exist a maximal achievable temperature in a system where particles obey the laws of quantum mechanics and classical gravity before we reach the realm of quantum gravity. Namely, if two particles with a given center of mass energy come at the distance shorter than the Schwarzschild diameter apart, according to classical gravity they will form a black hole. It is possible to calculate that a simple thermodynamical system will be dominated by black holes at a critical temperature which is about three times lower than the Planck temperature. That represents the maximal achievable temperature in a simple thermodynamical system.

OSTI ID:
22679670
Journal Information:
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Vol. 2016, Issue 06; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1475-7516
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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