Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thermodynamics

Not hotter than hot

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Physics

View current issue Submit your manuscript

A careful revision of the rudiments of statistical physics shows that negative temperatures are artefacts of Boltzmann's approximate definition of entropy. Gibbs' version, however, forbids negative absolute temperatures and is consistent with thermodynamics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Gibbs versus Boltzmann.

© INTERFOTO/Alamy

References

  1. Dunkel, J. & Hilbert, S. Nature Phys. 10, 67–72 (2014).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Braun, S. et al. Science 339, 52–55 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Carr, L. D. Science 339, 42–43 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Purcell, E. M. & Pound, R. V. Phys. Rev. 81, 279–280 (1951).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ramsey, N. M. Phys. Rev. 103, 20–28 (1956).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Igor M. Sokolov is at the Institute of Physics, Humbolt University of Berlin, Newtonstraβe 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany,

    Igor M. Sokolov

Authors
  1. Igor M. Sokolov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Igor M. Sokolov.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sokolov, I. Not hotter than hot. Nature Phys 10, 7–8 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2831

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2831

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation