I understand that energy can not be created or destroyed, only transformed. I believe I understand that temperature is just kinetic energy expressed through vibrations so when a particle gets closer to absolute zero, where does it’s energy go? Is it transformed into potential energy or something else?
In: Physics
There is nothing special about the thermal energy as it approaches 0K, it’ll follow the same mechanisms of heat transfer as that at ambient temperatures, namely: conduction, convection and radiation.
Conduction and convection both operate by transferring thermal energy to another body, gaseous, liquid or solid. Energy is not transformed but imparted.
Radiation is a transformation of that thermal energy however, in which its expressed as EM radiation.
The only way for something to approach 0K is for the system to already be colder than it, so it can release its thermal energy
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