The Possibility of

Negative Kelvin
Fiona Ward Shaw
9th hour
5/12/15

Introduction
1

Kelvin is the SI unit by which scientists measure temperature. It is named after British
physicist William Thomson, or Lord Kelvin. He claimed that there was a need for an absolute
temperature scale. On the Kelvin scale, zero is the lowest point, and as temperature and
molecular motion rise, so does the measure in Kelvin.
According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, absolute zero, or zero on the Kelvin
scale, is simply a mathematical limit, not an achievable temperature. If heat flows from hot to
cold, any system approaching absolute zero will draw energy from its surroundings, thus making
absolute zero impossible. It is not possible to get colder than zero Kelvin. However, it is possible
to have a system whose temperature is negative Kelvin.
Explaining the Boltzmann Distribution
Ludwig Boltzmann, an Austrian physicist in the late 1800s, formulated an equation
displaying the probability distribution of the energy levels of any classical system at varying
states, and the probability of finding certain particles of certain energy levels at certain
temperatures. In Graph 1 (see page 5), a simplified Boltzmann distribution is shown. The x-axis
shows molecular velocity. As the molecules in an object heat up, they move faster, and thus
move further to the right on the x-axis. On the y-axis, the probability of finding particles is
shown. Altogether, the graph shows the arc in probability of finding particles. At temperatures
and molecular speeds near absolute zero, the probability is low. As the temperature rises, so does
the probability of finding greater amounts of particles at that energy level, until the line gradually
dips back down, demonstrating that there is a lesser probability of finding particles at extremely
high temperatures and energy levels.
This Boltzmann distribution can be represented by the equation:
e

P e

kT

in which P, the probability of finding a certain particle (as shown on the y-axis in Graph 1), is
proportional to e, the energy level, raised to the negative change in energy over the product of k,
Boltzmanns constant, and T, temperature.
Achieving Negative Kelvin
In classical systems, such as the air, or a pot of boiling water, an infinite amount of
energy can be added to any particle in the system. These classical systems will obey Boltzmanns
equation, and its energy will flow from high energy levels to low energy levels. This is why in
Boltzmanns equation the (e) is negative -- the energy flows in a negative direction.
However, in some thermodynamic systems, a negative Kelvin value can be achieved by
creating a system in which the atoms have a limit of possible energy, and flow from low energy
levels to higher ones. This limit does not mean that there is no more nearby energy to go into the
object; it simply means that the object or system cannot absorb any more energy. If this type of
system were graphed as a Boltzmann distribution, it would look like an upside down version of
the one in Graph 1. This negative Kelvin system is the opposite of a classical system. There are
more particles at higher energy states than lower energy states, and the particles have assumed
negative Kelvin.
In order to picture this, it helps to imagine balls rolling across a hilly landscape. The
valleys stand for low energy levels and the peaks for high ones. As the balls are heated, they will
move faster and faster, and will cover more of the landscape. If the balls could be heated to an
infinite temperature, there would be an equal probability of finding them on the peaks and the
valleys.
Why, then, is the Kelvin value negative, even if the systems in question are hotter than
most classical systems? Well, when graphing the negative Kelvin systems, in order to flip the

line on the graph, you have to change the (e) to a positive change in energy. This is
accomplished by making the T, temperature, a negative number. Once the temperature is
negative, the (e) is cancelled out to make a (e ), or a positive change in energy.
According to Ulrich Schneider, a German physicist who works with gases of negative Kelvin
temperatures, the temperature scale simply does not end at infinity, but jumps to negative values
instead.
Negative Kelvin in Everyday Uses
Systems of negative Kelvin temperatures do not exist solely in laboratories. In fact,
negative Kelvin is at work in a simple, common invention -- the laser. The atoms and molecules
that produce a lasing effect are pushed into high energy states, by adding energy to them. When
the particles come back to a lower energy state, they release some of their gained energy in the
form of light. Between the points of being pushed up to a high energy state and dropping back
down, the particles are in an abnormal state -- more atoms are in the higher energy level than the
lower level. Sound familiar? If this distribution is put into Boltzmanns energy distribution
equation and the temperature is solved for, a negative Kelvin value will be found.
Conclusion
It is in no way possible to have temperatures colder than absolute zero, but it is possible
to have systems with temperatures represented in negative Kelvin. In certain types of systems
where a majority of the particles stay in high energy states, the graph of the Boltzmann
distribution will be below the x-axis, and in the Boltzmann equation, the value for Kelvin will
become negative in order to create a positive change in energy.

Graph 1:

Source:https://www.boundless.com/physics/textbooks/boundless-physics-textbook/temperature-and-kinetic-theory12/kinetic-theory-105/speed-distribution-of-molecules-381-5643/

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