Astrophysics (Index)About

thermal equilibrium

(state of a system with no net heat flows)

Thermal equilibrium is the state of a thermodynamic system (e.g., a gas cloud) such that there is no net heat flow, e.g., everything in it being the same temperature. It is a key internal characteristic of a black body, i.e., the condition that produces black-body radiation. Real-world matter can be quite close to thermal equilibrium, but actual thermal equilibrium is a theoretical state, useful in modeling situations where heat flow is minimal.

Thermodynamic equilibrium is thermal equilibrium plus equilibrium of additional aspects: chemical equilibrium, mechanical equilibrium, and radiative equilibrium.


(physics)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_equilibrium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamic_equilibrium
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/thereq.html

Referenced by pages:
atmospheric escape
thermodynamic equilibrium (TE)

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