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Negative Absolute Temperatures, a Novelty

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Jaime Wisniak

Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel

J. Chem. Educ., 2000, 77 (4), p 518

DOI: 10.1021/ed077p518

Publication Date (Web): April 1, 2000

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The concept of absolute temperature is developed on the basis of the second law. It is shown that although, in general, the absolute temperature can take only positive values, it can achieve negative values for particular cases where only a finite number of energy levels are available.

Keywords (Audience):

Upper-Division Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Physical Chemistry

Keywords (Subject):

Thermodynamics

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Citing Articles

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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).

A Missing Deduction of the Clausius Equality and Inequality
Rafael Nieto, Celina González, Ángel Jiménez, Ignacio López, and Javier Rodríguez
Journal of Chemical Education2011 88 (5), 597-601
- A Missing Deduction of the Clausius Equality and Inequality
  Rafael Nieto, Celina González, Ángel Jiménez, Ignacio López, and Javier Rodríguez
  Journal of Chemical Education2011 88 (5), 597-601
  The two main statements of the second law of thermodynamics were given by Clausius, and Kelvin and Planck. Other statements followed well into the 20th century. It is known that the two main statements are not exactly equivalent, although their ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Positive and Negative Temperatures in a Two-Level System: Thermodynamic and Statistical-Mechanical Perspectives
Mark B. Masthay and Harry B. Fannin
Journal of Chemical Education2005 82 (6), 867
- Positive and Negative Temperatures in a Two-Level System: Thermodynamic and Statistical-Mechanical Perspectives
  Mark B. Masthay and Harry B. Fannin
  Journal of Chemical Education2005 82 (6), 867
  Transient negative temperature states have been reported for a range of systems having a finite number of energy levels. While such systems are rare and seem to contradict the common notion that temperature is always positive, they provide an effective ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
The Relation of Temperature to Energy
Christopher King
Journal of Chemical Education2005 82 (6), 861
- The Relation of Temperature to Energy
  Christopher King
  Journal of Chemical Education2005 82 (6), 861
  The object of this article is to present known information about the relation between temperature and energy in a manner accessible to physical chemistry students. Temperature, T, can be defined as or .Combining this with the Boltzmann expression ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links