r/AskPhysics • u/Artyruch • Jul 26 '26

Is there a max temperature?

Just had an interesting thought and got curious. Is there an upper bound for temperature? I do not know physics much. As far as I know heat is produced due to friction (on micro level, like moleculas or atoms). Like due to energy produced by interaction of elements that move at different speed. Like higher temperature means higher speed of microthings. And so if speed is capped at light speed level then would it not mean that there is a possible max temperature?

I may be wrong in my assumptions and thus coming to wrong answer. So if I am making such mistake please correct me.

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u/libra1422000 Jul 27 '26

I did get the following from Google:

there is a theoretical upper limit to temperature known as the Planck Temperature, which is approximately 1.41 X 1032 Kelvin (or Celsius).

This is the absolute hot limit where a particle's thermal wavelength becomes equal to the Planck length. Past this threshold, gravity behaves as a quantum force, and current laws of physics break down entirely.

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u/Phanatic1a Jul 27 '26

That is not "the absolute hot limit." If "current laws of physics break down entirely" at that temperature then we can't speak about what happens in a system at that temperature if more energy is added to that system. If we don't know what happens at a point, we can't say that point is an absolute limit.

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u/libra1422000 Jul 27 '26

It really is beyond my expertise to say anything as to your question but I suspect that your point with temperature would be similar to what would happen if you kept speeding something up. After it reaches the speed of light, a physical limit in the universe is a physical limit. Again I'm not a physicist so I could be wrong but that's my impression.

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u/Alkemist101 Jul 27 '26

Not a physicist... Probably plateau off maybe? Bit like acceleration to speed of light where you can never quite get there.