T Falls Apart: On the Status of Classical Temperature in Relativity

TL;DR

The paper critically examines the extension of classical temperature into special relativity, arguing that it fails to maintain consistency across different measurement procedures, challenging the notion of a relativistic temperature.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of four classical temperature definitions and shows their relativistic counterparts do not align, questioning the validity of classical temperature in relativity.

Findings

Classical temperature definitions do not unify under relativistic conditions

Relativistic counterparts of thermodynamic procedures show inconsistency

Classical temperature likely does not extend into special relativity

Abstract

Taking the formal analogies between black holes and classical thermodynamics seriously seems to first require that classical thermodynamics applies to relativistic regimes. Yet, by scrutinizing how classical temperature is extended into special relativity, I argue that it falls apart. I examine four consilient procedures for establishing classical temperature - the Carnot process, the thermometer, kinetic theory, and black-body radiation. I show how their relativistic counterparts demonstrate no such consilience in defining relativistic temperature. Hence, classical temperature does not appear to survive a relativistic extension. I suggest two interpretations for this situation - eliminativism akin to simultaneity, or pluralism akin to rotation.