Physics · the experiment
Put the nanothermometer to the test
A cell, its heat sources, and a sensor a few tens of nanometres across. Set the heat output and the sensor's size, and see how far the theorem lets it warm up.
1 · Bound the article's sensor
Beginner
In a cell producing 50 pW, by how much can a 60 nm sensor warm up, at most?
Check it: the cell produces 50 pW, the conductivity is 0.1 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. Set the sensor volume to the article's, 10⁻²² m³.
2 · Push the bound up to 1 K
Intermediate
Same sensor, same conductivity. What power would it take for the bound to reach 1 K?
Check it: same sensor, same conductivity. Raise the heat produced until the bound reaches 1 K.
3 · Shrink the sensor
Expert
Still 50 pW. Take a sensor 8 times smaller in volume. What happens to the bound?
Check it: back to 50 pW. Shrink the sensor volume until the article's bound doubles.
4 · Explain the 1 K readings
Expert
If a nanothermometer truly reads 1 K above its surroundings in a cell, what does the article conclude?
Sensor bounded
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