ABSTRACT
We present herein a class of probability models with considerable potential for useful applications to reliability analysis. The new families of probability density functions (PDFs) have a fundamental basis in quantum physics; they describe the inherent uncertainty of properties of single energy quanta emitted by a “perfect radiator” or “blackbody” with known temperature. The starting point for the derivation of the various PDFs is Planck’s blackbody radiation spectrum [1], which expresses how the energy absorbed or emitted in blackbody radiation is distributed among quanta of radiation (photons) with different energies (or frequencies or wavelengths), characterizing the aggregate behavior of very many energy quanta in local thermal equilibrium (LTE).
