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⭐ Core Definition: KT (energy)

kT (also written as k_BT) is the product of the Boltzmann constant, k (or k_B), and the temperature, T. This product is used in physics as a scale factor for energy values in molecular-scale systems (sometimes it is used as a unit of energy), as the rates and frequencies of many processes and phenomena depend not on their energy alone, but on the ratio of that energy and kT, that is, on ⁠E/kT⁠ (see Arrhenius equation and Boltzmann factor). For a system in equilibrium in canonical ensemble, the probability of the system being in state with energy E is proportional to $e^{\frac {-\Delta E}{kT}}.$

More fundamentally, kT is the amount of heat required to increase the thermodynamic entropy of a system by k.

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👉 KT (energy) in the context of Soft matter

Soft matter or soft condensed matter is a type of matter that can be deformed or structurally altered by thermal or mechanical stress which is of similar magnitude to thermal fluctuations.

The science of soft matter is a subfield of condensed matter physics. Soft materials include liquids, colloids, polymers, foams, gels, granular materials, liquid crystals, flesh, and a number of biomaterials. These materials share an important common feature in that predominant physical behaviors occur at an energy scale comparable with room temperature thermal energy (of order of kT), and that entropy is considered the dominant factor. At these temperatures, quantum aspects are generally unimportant. When soft materials interact favorably with surfaces, they become squashed without an external compressive force.

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⭐ Core Definition: KT (energy)
👉 KT (energy) in the context of Soft matter
KT (energy) in the context of Thermal energy

KT (energy) in the context of Thermal energy

The term "thermal energy" is often used ambiguously in physics and engineering. It can denote several different physical concepts, including:

Internal energy: The energy contained within a body of matter or radiation, excluding the potential energy of the whole system.
Heat: Energy in transfer between a system and its surroundings by mechanisms other than thermodynamic work and transfer of matter.
The characteristic energy $k B T$ , where $T$ denotes temperature and $k B$ denotes the Boltzmann constant; it is twice that associated with each degree of freedom.

Mark Zemansky (1970) has argued that the term "thermal energy" is best avoided due to its ambiguity. He suggests using more precise terms such as "internal energy" and "heat" to avoid confusion. The term is, however, used in some textbooks.

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KT (energy) in the context of "Soft matter"

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⭐ Core Definition: KT (energy)

👉 KT (energy) in the context of Soft matter

KT (energy) in the context of Thermal energy