Planck's blackbody radiation law is proved untrue at nanoscale distances

In summary, physicists have long predicted that a well-established physical law for heat transfer between two objects would break down when the objects are very close together. After years of speculation, MIT researchers have finally confirmed this prediction and found that the heat transfer can be 1,000 times greater than the law suggests. This discovery could have significant implications for applications such as designing better recording heads for hard disks and creating new devices for harvesting wasted heat energy.
  • #1
mark1
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A well-established physical law describes the transfer of heat between two objects, but some physicists have long predicted that the law should break down when the objects are very close together. Scientists had never been able to confirm, or measure, this breakdown in practice. For the first time, however, MIT researchers have achieved this feat, and determined that the heat transfer can be 1,000 times greater than the law predicts.

The new findings could lead to significant new applications, including better design of the recording heads of the hard disks used for computer data storage, and new kinds of devices for harvesting energy from heat that would otherwise be wasted.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/heat-0729.html"
 
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  • #2
Thanks for posting that!

I wonder what the explanation is for this. Perhaps induced dipole moments between charges in the two objects when they are close enough to each other, somehow increases the radiative transfer rate?
 
  • #3


I find these new findings regarding the breakdown of Planck's blackbody radiation law at nanoscale distances to be extremely interesting and groundbreaking. This law, which has been well-established for over a century, has been a fundamental principle in understanding the transfer of heat between objects. The fact that it has been proven untrue at such small distances challenges our current understanding of heat transfer and opens up new possibilities for applications in various fields.

The ability to measure and confirm this breakdown in practice is a significant achievement and a testament to the advancements in technology and research methods. The finding that heat transfer can be 1,000 times greater than predicted by the law is remarkable and has the potential to greatly impact industries such as data storage and energy harvesting.

Further research in this area could lead to a better understanding of heat transfer at the nanoscale and potentially even new laws or principles that govern it. This could have implications for a wide range of fields, from materials science to renewable energy. I look forward to seeing how these new findings will be further explored and applied in the future.
 

What is Planck's blackbody radiation law?

Planck's blackbody radiation law states that the energy emitted by a blackbody at a given temperature is proportional to the frequency of the radiation. It is a fundamental law of physics that explains the behavior of electromagnetic radiation.

What is nanoscale distance?

Nanoscale distance refers to distances on the scale of nanometers, which is one billionth of a meter. At this scale, the behavior of particles and materials can differ significantly from that at larger scales.

How was Planck's blackbody radiation law disproved at nanoscale distances?

Recent research has shown that at nanoscale distances, the behavior of electromagnetic radiation does not follow the predictions of Planck's law. This is due to the effects of quantum mechanics, which become more significant at this scale.

Why is this discovery important?

The discovery that Planck's blackbody radiation law is not accurate at nanoscale distances has important implications for our understanding of the behavior of electromagnetic radiation and for the development of new technologies, such as nanoscale sensors and devices.

Will this change the way we use Planck's law in practical applications?

At larger scales, Planck's law is still a useful tool for understanding and predicting the behavior of electromagnetic radiation. However, at nanoscale distances, other models and theories may be needed to accurately describe and predict the behavior of electromagnetic radiation.

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