What is "thermalisation"

n. (alternative spelling of thermalization English)

In physics, thermalisation (in American English thermalization) is the process of physical bodies reaching thermal equilibrium through mutual interaction. In general the natural tendency of a system is towards a state of equipartition of energy or uniform temperature, maximising the system's entropy.

Examples of thermalisation include:

• the achievement of equilibrium in a plasma
• the process undergone by high-energy neutrons as they lose energy by collision with a moderator.