Re: Thermal Energy - thermalization of rotational energy

["RAUBER, JOEL" <JOEL_RAUBER@SDSTATE.EDU>]

One minor quibble with what John M. wrote below:
> Thermal energy is thermalized internal energy.
>
> To thermalize means to allow subsystems to interact for a long
> enough time so that the energy they have is distributed according
> to the Boltzmann distribution or, when necessary, its quantum
> mechanical counterparts.

I have seen papers where the energy distribution was referred as thermal,
but were neither Boltzmann or the common B-E or F-D counterparts in quantum
mechanics.  I've seen this in particular in some papers regarding Black Hole
Thermodynamics and its relationships to Hawking radiation and White Holes,
this is a 15 year old memory so I can't give reference.  It represents only
a minor quibble, however.  And presumably can be corrected by referring to
any distribution that can be characterized by a small number of parameters,
e.g. temperature, chemical potential etc.

Joel R.