Thermal bath (thermodynamics)
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Not to be confused with Heat bath.
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In thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, a thermal bath is a reservoir of particles at finite temperature undergoing Brownian motion, and that in thermal contact with an object of interest. Because of its nonzero temperature, this system contains thermal energy. This yields an environment where the fluctuations due to thermal noise are significant. This type of environment can have important effects at a molecular scale, such as for the operation of molecular motors or stretching of DNA molecules.
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