Absolute Zero is the theoretical minimum temperature that can be achieved . Is there a theoretical Maximum ???

Answer 1

Absolute zero is the temperature where molecules have no energy to vibrate. Everything completely stops at this temperature. Just for the record it is impossible to reach this temperature because no cooling system is effecient enough to remove this energy.

Back to your question,

There is no upper limit, but there is an upper limit by physical constraints. The highest known temperatures are in fusion reactions, more importantly endothermic fusion reactions.

Fusion is when two or more atoms are forced together to create a new larger molecule. When this happens it releases energy. This process works by adding extra hydrogen atoms. This can continue until you create Iron. Iron has the most stable nucleus.

After this point the amount of energy released is less than the amount of energy it takes to create the new molecule.

Thats the background, the best place to find the high temperatures is inside a super nova. Temperatures exceed billions of degrees.

Its alot of text, but it boils down to being in a supernova. There is no other place that can produce such high temperatures.

I hope that answers your question.

Chris

Answer 2

Chris A is pretty much correct, absolute zero (about -273.15 degree centigrade or 0 K) is a theoretical minimum and can't be acheived, since energy (heat) will only flow from a state of high density to one of lower density. Meaning you would need something at or below absolute zero, to make something else at zero. Bit like picking yourself up by your shoes.

This is all governed by the Third Law of Thermodynamics, which says temperature will approach zero asymptotically to infinity, never reaching it. MIT researchers have reached temperatures of 450pK, less than half of a billionth of a degree!

On the other side of the scale, and the only point that Chris A skipped over, is that while there is no theoretical maximum to temperature, there is a practical limit. The practical maximum is limited to the sum of all the mass-energy in the universe, which is equal to the temperature of the Bing Bang singularity, as pointed out by HZNFRST. The only things that could possibly interfere with this are black holes, white holes (though their existence is frowned by most scientists, they have received a new restricted theoretical definition), dark matter and dark energy. Since dark matter and dark energy are understood so little, it has been theorised that they could be the source of new energy.

Anyway, it's still theory, and it pretty much goes without saying that the maximum would be heckava hot!

Answer 3

The absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature based on the extrapolation of the Volume-Temperature graph for all materials. It is the theoretical temperature where the volume of a substance is compressed to zero.

Theory 1: As all objects can expand, and they can expand indefinitely, I would say that there cannot be a maximum temperature.

Theory 2: However, as the total energy in our universal system is a fixed value (energy cannot be created or destroy, only transferred from one form to another) then I would say that there must be a limit; when all forms of energy has been converted into the kinetic energy that contributes to heat energy.

Great question!!!!!

Answer 4

Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature where nothing could be colder and no heat energy remains in a substance. Absolute zero is the point at which the fundamental particles of nature have minimal vibrational motion, retaining only quantum mechanical, zero-point energy-induced particle motion.

By international agreement, absolute zero is defined as precisely…

* 0 K on the Kelvin scale, which is a thermodynamic (absolute) temperature scale, and
* –273.15 °C on the Celsius scale.

Absolute zero is also precisely equivalent to…

* 0 °R on the Rankine scale (also a thermodynamic temperature scale), and
* –459.67 °F on the Fahrenheit scale.

While scientists can not fully achieve a state of “zero” heat energy in a substance, they have made great advancements in achieving temperatures ever closer to absolute zero (where matter exhibits odd quantum effects). In 1994, the NIST achieved a record cold temperature of 700 nK (billionths of a kelvin). In 2003, researchers at MIT eclipsed this with a new record of 450 pK (0.45 nK).

Theoretical Maximum temperature would simply come from Einstein's E = mc^2, where c = speed of light and m = all the mass in the universe.

Answer 5

Responders James H and Thermo are no longer astonishing. even nonetheless the particle velocities can not attain the cost of light, the debris can get carry of arbitrarily super energies, because of the fact the mass will strengthen because of the fact the cost of light is approached and the kinetic potential (in an uncomplicated view - no longer mathematically rigorous -- i can not get into the gory info right here) is the made of the mass and the sq. of the cost. So, if there's a optimum temperature, the Planck temperature is probably it, or touching directly to it. the utmost temperatures now got here upon in the universe are probably in supernova explosions, and are on the order of a few billion levels.

Answer 6

Absolute Zero is not the minimum temperature and theoretically there is no limit to the max temparature that can be achieved

Answer 7

No. But achieving very high temperatures is difficult, because a hot object loses heat through radiation at the fourth power of the temperature. Which made building a hydrogen bomb a really interesting trick.

Answer 8

Yep! Big Bang temp must've been max! It's late, but using approx figures, assuming 1/40Ev=1degK gives a value of 2x10^87K for primordial explosion.(If we take mass of our Universe=1.67x10^53 Kg approx)
Absolute zero= -273.16deg cannot be reached, but systems with NEGATIVE absolute temps could be created, I think. All you would have to do is to somehow create an 'inverted' energy level occupancy configuration, where more particles existed in higher energy states than in the ground state. Maybe you have done this already using lasers to create temporary metastable higher populated higher energy states with electrons?

Answer 9

Absolute Zero does not mean its the minimum temperature. It simply means that actual zero temperature could never be achieved. Its either a bit - or a bit +.

Answer 10

I think there is a limit. The universe started as a singularity. It's temperature is quoted as at the time of expansion at10^28 degrees. Therefor nothing now can exceed that now