Blackbody Radiation Research Articles

Adiabatic invariance and its application to Wien's complete displacement law of blackbody radiation

We derive the “complete” or “strong” version of Wien's displacement law from two adiabatic invariants: one of a thermodynamic system composed of a finite-sized segment of frequencies taken from the spectrum of blackbody radiation and one of the individual electromagnetic waves that compose this system. By exploiting the algebra of these invariants, we shift the calculational burden of deriving Wien's displacement law toward the methods of classical thermodynamics. These methods also produce a class of displacement laws that constrain both the particles of a classical ideal gas and the acoustic waves of the Debye model of a solid.

Is Quantization a Co-Operative Phenomenon? On the Ensemble Interpretation of Quantum Physics

A fresh look at Planck's quantum, h, re-interprets action as the companion of power in a dynamic interplay of energies in a multi particle system of the micro world. An exchange of energy, δE, requires a characteristic duration, δτ, with δE and δτ tied together in a natural way. Action, the product δEδτ, must have a nonzero lower limit, h, as a classical necessity everywhere in physics. Zero h would constitute a singularity. The veritable quantum is action, not energy. Black body radiation formulas (Wien, Planck, and Rayleigh) all require this non zero h. Planck's thermodynamic approach was not consistently developed further. Einstein in his 1905 description of the photo effect chose the single "quantum of light" as statistically independent actor in radiation. The resulting discussions about the wave-particle dualism, the meaning of uncertainty, the collapse of wave packets when observed, self-interference, and related problems can be avoided by the consistent view of the ensemble interpretation. In agreement with action defined as δEδτ only co-operative phenomena produce the effects we observe. In particular, this concerns the photon, directly associated with h, as naturally interactive quantum. Careful experiments on low intensity interference suggest to take the photon out of the isolation, thus changing the general view of quantum physics with surprising consequences. Do photons transport energy or action? To understand where 20th century physics has gone a glance at the historical background is in order.

Observation of Near-Field Thermal Radiation between Coplanar Nanodevices with Subwavelength Dimensions.

With the continuous advancement of nanotechnology, nanodevices have become crucial components in computing, sensing, and energy conversion applications. The structures of nanodevices typically possess subwavelength dimensions and separations, which pose significant challenges for understanding energy transport phenomena in nanodevices. Here, on the basis of a judiciously designed thermal photonic nanodevice, we report the first measurement of near-field energy transport between two coplanar subwavelength structures over temperature bias up to ∼190 K. Our experimental results demonstrate a 20-fold enhancement in energy transfer beyond blackbody radiation. In contrast with the well-established near-field interactions between two semi-infinite bodies, the subwavelength confinements in nanodevices lead to increased polariton scattering and reduction of supporting photonic modes and, therefore, a lower energy flow at a given separation. Our work unveils exciting opportunities for the rational design of nanodevices, particularly for coplanar near-field energy transport, with important implications for the development of efficient nanodevices for energy harvesting and thermal management.

Hydrogen recombination continuum as the radiative model for stellar optical flares

ABSTRACT The study of stellar flares has increased with new observations from CoRoT, Kepler, and TESS satellites, revealing the broad-band visible emission from these events. Typically, stellar flares have been modelled as 104 K blackbody plasma to obtain estimates of their total energy. In the Sun, white-light flares (WLFs) are much fainter than their stellar counterparts, and normally can only be detected via spatially resolved observations. Identifying the radiation mechanism for the formation of the visible spectrum from solar and stellar flares is crucial to understand the energy transfer processes during these events, but spectral data for WLFs are relatively rare, and insufficient to remove the ambiguity of their origin: photospheric blackbody radiation and/or Paschen continuum from hydrogen recombination in the chromosphere. We employed an analytical solution for the recombination continuum of hydrogen instead of the typically assumed 104 K blackbody spectrum to study the energy of stellar flares and infer their fractional area coverage. We investigated 37 events from Kepler-411 and five events from Kepler-396, using both radiation mechanisms. We find that estimates for the total flare energy from the H recombination spectrum are about an order of magnitude lower than the values obtained from the blackbody radiation. Given the known energy transfer processes in flares, we argue that the former is a physically more plausible model than the latter to explain the origin of the broad-band optical emission from flares.

Ultra-broadband quantum infrared spectroscopy

Spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region is an indispensable tool for identifying molecular types in various fields, including physics, chemistry, and medical sciences. However, conventional infrared light sources, detectors, and noise from blackbody radiation have been the obstacles to miniaturization and higher sensitivity of infrared spectrometers. Quantum infrared spectroscopy, which uses visible and infrared photon pairs in a quantum entangled state, has attracted attention as a new sensing technology that enables infrared spectroscopy with detectors in the visible range. However, the bandwidth of conventional quantum entangled light sources is at most 1 µm or less, which hinders broadband measurements, which are important in spectroscopic applications. Here we have realized an ultra-broadband entangled state of visible–infrared photons with wavelengths from 2 to 5 µm, harnessing a specially designed nonlinear crystal with chirped poling structure inside. Furthermore, we constructed a nonlinear quantum interferometer using the ultra-broadband quantum entangled photons and realized broadband infrared spectroscopy of inorganic and organic materials using a visible detector made of silicon. Our results show that quantum infrared spectroscopy can achieve ultra-broadband spectroscopic measurements and pave the way for the highly sensitive, ultra-compact infrared spectrometers using quantum entangled photons.

Scalable nano-architecture for stable near-blackbody solar absorption at high temperatures

Light trapping enhancement by nanostructures is ubiquitous in engineering applications, for example, in improving highly-efficient concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies. However, most nano-engineered coatings and metasurfaces are not scalable to large surfaces ( > 100 m2) and are unstable at elevated temperatures ( > 850 °C), hindering their wide-spread adoption in CST. Here, we propose a scalable layer nano-architecture that can significantly enhance the solar absorption of an arbitrary material. Our electromagnetics modelling predicts that the absorptance of cutting-edge light-absorbers can be further enhanced by more than 70%, i.e. relative improvement towards blackbody absorption from a baseline value without the nano-architecture. Experimentally, the nano-architecture yields a solar absorber that is 35% optically closer to a blackbody, even after long-term (1000 h) high-temperature (900 °C) ageing in air. A stable solar absorptance of more than 97.88 ± 0.14% is achieved, to the best of our knowledge, the highest so far reported for these extreme ageing conditions. The scalability of the layer nano-architecture is further demonstrated with a drone-assisted deposition, paving the way towards a simple yet significant solar absorptance boosting and maintenance method for existing and newly developed CST absorbing materials.

The concept of the massive photon and its astrophysical implications

We discuss the concept of the massive photon with its possible implications in astrophysics. We use the term ”mass equivalent” instead of relativistic or effective mass. We also analyzed modified Planck’s law and estimated (mean mass/rest mass) ratio in connection to the temperature of blackbody radiation of the massive photons. This ratio diverges at high temperatures and approaches unity at low temperatures. The ”mass equivalent” for the CMB radiation was estimated to be equal to 0.0468% of the total mass of the Universe. We have discussed importance of the Breit-Wheeler process of particle – antiparticle production in the early Universe. We have evaluated the upper limit of the rest mass of the photon using gravitational and cosmological redshifts. A correlation was found between estimated masses of the photon and the lowest/highest frequencies of the spectral bands used for estimation of the mass.

On Wien’s peaks

Most Modern Physics Books contain a chapter on the Laws of Black Body radiation when introducing the principles of Quantum Mechanics. These laws govern many phenomena that we encounter in daily life, technological developments, and scientific research. For that, this old subject is still of great importance, and even now some issues require our attention. This work addresses one of these topics. We describe why it has no sense to think that the wavelength at which Planck’s black-body spectral radiance distribution plotted as a function of the wavelength has its maximum value, must be the same that the wavelength calculated from the peak value obtained when the distribution is plotted as a function of another variable, such as the energy of the photons. We will show how the issue lies in using the correct form to calculate this wavelength from measured quantities.

Temperature dependence of infrared photoresponse from lead sulfide film grown by chemical bath deposition

Due to the lower Auger recombination coefficient of lead salts, the study of room temperature infrared detectors based on lead salt is reemerges as a hot research topic. In this paper, we prepared polycrystalline lead sulfide (PbS) films using chemical bath deposition and fabricated a photovoltage infrared detector with Si. Different from normal PbS photodetectors, which usually show positive photoconductivity, our device demonstrated both positive and negative photoconductivity under 1550 nm laser illumination. The switching of positive and negative photoconductivity was found to be depended on temperature and applied bias. We proposed that the change of photoconductivity is due to the electron traps from S vacancies. Furthermore, we also tested the photoresponse under infrared blackbody radiation, which confirms that the device exhibits high sensitivity. The temperature dependence of PbS infrared photodetector demonstrated in this paper could be useful for applications involving focal array planes based on lead-related materials.

Stimulated radiative association of sodium and chlorine atoms and their ions in a coupled channel treatment.

In an extension of previous work (Šimsová et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 25250), we study stimulated radiative association of sodium chloride (NaCl) in an environment with a black body radiation. Colliding neutral (Na and Cl) and ionic (Na+ and Cl-) fragments are considered. The coupling between the diabatic ionic and neutral channels is accounted for. The cross sections are computed and resolved on the vibrational states of the formed NaCl molecule for detailed analysis. The thermal rate coefficients for neutral colliding fragments at kinetic temperatures, T, from 1 K to 5300 K are computed for use in astrochemical modelling. The total rate coefficient is affected by more than one order of magnitude by stimulated emission from a blackbody radiator of temperature Tb = 50 000 K. The effect from stimulated emission is largest for the lowest kinetic temperatures, where Tb of a few thousand kelvins has a significant effect. The rate coefficient for the colliding ionic fragments is calculated from 80 K to 3615 K. The blackbody radiation has little effect on this process.

What is the primary culprit that causes the "Doomsday Glacier" in Antarctica?

Antarctica, situated in the southernmost part of the earth is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. It has an extremely important role in tuning global climate, both because of its geographic location, and its giant ice mass, that comprises ~90% of the world's ice. In the past decades, the Thwaites Glacier in the Amundsen Sea of West Antarctica is undergoing the fastest recession in the region. The ice loss in Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for roughly four percent of the global sea-level rise, which has been attributed to climate change and ocean warming. Due to the continuous collapsing and melting of Thwaites Glacier and the severe threat to humans, scientists gave it a terrifying name "Doomsday Glacier". With increasingly geological and geophysical studies conducted in West Antarctica, geothermal heat flux has been discovered to play a vital role in icesheet retreating. The rapidly retreating Thwaites and Pope glaciers are underlain by areas of largely elevated geothermal heat flow, which relates to the tectonic and magmatic history of the West Antarctic Rift System in this region, suggesting that this area is coupled to the dynamics of the underlying lithosphere. The collapsing and melting of the West Antarctic glaciers are without doubt a realistic and complex issue. From the current geological surveys, the heat flux of the crust of West Antarctica appears to be accelerating, coupled with frequent earthquakes and volcanoes. Geothermal features such as hot water lakes, thermal rivers, and giant ice caves beneath the glaciers have been continuously discovered. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that geothermal effects play a significant role in modifying the vast ice masses, causing glacier sliding, cracking, collapsing, and ultimately melting, and create conditions for a warming climate to melt West Antarctic glaciers. Many studies also suggest that warm ocean water is intruding beneath the glaciers across the grounding line, leading to melting of glacier bottom, which has been generally considered to be associated with human-emitted greenhouse gases, but it is thought here not to be a primary factor for glacier melting, but most likely a secondary factor. It is believed that primary and secondary factors, Milankovitch orbits, black body radiation, solar activities, human activities, and other factors are all interconnected to form a feedback loop between the glacier base and the ocean, or even a positive feedback loop, which further accelerates the collapsing and melting of the west Antarctic glaciers

A simple way to deduce the Planck equation of blackbody radiation emission

The blackbody radiation equation, also known as the Planck equation, has proved to be a challenge for students starting their studies in the field of thermal radiation, and this article aims to overcome this difficulty by presenting it in a simplified way. First, the classical approach to the blackbody derivation performed by the scientist Max Planck will be presented, which uses the concept of entropy, related to the different forms of energy distribution, in a thermodynamic system, complexion, according to Planck. Next, the deduction of the blackbody equation is presented, without resorting to complex calculations, but rather simple ones, from the approach carried out by Richard Feynman. Therefore, the objective of this article is to present the blackbody radiation equation, using basic concepts of average energy, and how the equation can be deduced from simple numerical calculations, without losing sight of the phenomenological character.

Theoretical calculation of “tune-out” wavelengths for clock states of Al<sup>+</sup>

In quantum optical experiments, the polarizabilities of atomic systems play a very important role, which can be used to describe the interactions of atomic systems with external electromagnetic fields. When subjected to a specific electric field such as a laser field with a particular frequency, the frequency-dependent electric-dipole (E1) dynamic polarizability of an atomic state can reach zero. The wavelength corresponding to such a frequency is referred to as the “turn-out” wavelength. In this work, the “turn-out” wavelengths for the 3s<sup>2</sup> <sup>1</sup>S<sub>0</sub> and 3s3p <sup>3</sup>P<sub>0</sub> clock states of Al<sup>+</sup> are calculated by using the configuration interaction plus many-body perturbation theory (CI+MBPT) method. The values of energy and E1 reduced matrix elements of low-lying states of Al<sup>+</sup> are calculated. By combining these E1 reduced matrix elements with the experimental energy values, the E1 dynamic polarizabilities of the 3s<sup>2</sup> <sup>1</sup>S<sub>0</sub> and 3s3p <sup>3</sup>P<sub>0</sub> clock states are determined in the angular frequency range of (0, 0.42 a.u.). The “turn-out” wavelengths are found at the zero-crossing points of the frequency-dependent dynamic polarizability curves for both the 3s<sup>2</sup> <sup>1</sup>S<sub>0</sub> and 3s3p <sup>3</sup>P<sub>0</sub> states. For the ground state 3s<sup>2</sup> <sup>1</sup>S<sub>0</sub>, a single “turn-out” wavelength at 266.994(1) nm is observed. On the other hand, the excited state 3s3p <sup>3</sup>P<sub>0</sub> exhibits four distinct “turn-out” wavelengths, namely 184.56(1) nm, 174.433(1) nm, 121.52(2) nm, and 119.71(2) nm. The contributions of individual resonant transitions to the dynamic polarizabilities at the “turn-out” wavelengths are examined. It is observed that the resonant lines situated near a certain “turn-out” wavelength can provide dominant contributions to the polarizability, while the remaining resonant lines generally contribute minimally. When analyzing these data, we recommend accurately measuring these “turn-out” wavelengths to accurately determine the oscillator strengths or reduced matrix elements of the relevant transitions. This is crucial for minimizing the uncertainty of the blackbody radiation (BBR) frequency shift in Al<sup>+</sup> optical clock and suppressing the systematic uncertainty. Meanwhile, precisely measuring these “turn-out” wavelengths is also helpful for further exploring the atomic structure of Al<sup>+</sup>.

Absolute calibration method of electron cyclotron emission imaging system on EAST tokamak

<sec>Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system can provide the poloidal two-dimensional (2D) relative electron temperature perturbation profile of the core plasma with high spatial and temporal resolution. After absolute calibration of ECEI system, 2D absolute electron temperature profile and its perturbation can be provided. It can provide experimental data support for studying the local heat transport and the evolution of magnetic surface of macro magneto-hydro-dynamics instability. However, due to a large number of measurement channels and the wide measuring area of ECEI diagnostic system, the absolute calibration method in which a blackbody radiation source is used as a standard source, still has technical difficulties.</sec><sec>This paper provides an absolute calibration method of ECEI diagnostic system on EAST tokamak, which can cover all the channels of ECEI system. Firstly, the sawtooth inversion surface can be determined by measuring the relative electron temperature change before and after the collapse of the sawtooth. The magnetic surface position and the shape (<inline-formula><tex-math id="M1">\begin{document}${S_{{\text{inv}}}}$\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic specific-use="online" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="13-20240497_M1.jpg"/><graphic specific-use="print" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="13-20240497_M1.png"/></alternatives></inline-formula>) of the ECEI measuring area are fitted based on the position and shape of the inversion surface. Then, the one-to-one mapping relationship between laboratory coordinates of each ECEI channel and magnetic surface is obtained. Secondly, according to the assumption that the electron temperature is the same on each magnetic surface in equilibrium, the electron temperature of each magnetic surface is fitted by the electron cyclotron emission (ECE) system result, while the ECE system is absolutely calibrated. The calibration coefficient <i>k</i>(<i>i</i>, <i>j</i>) of each ECEI channel is obtained by comparing with the signal amplitude and the electron temperature on the magnetic surface. The relative error of absolute electron temperature between ECEI and ECE is no more than 6% at the same location.</sec><sec>Based on the absolute electron temperature profile provided by ECEI, the motion of the magnetic axis during sawtooth instability can be tracked. It is found that the radial displacement of the magnetic axis occurs followed by the poloidal displacement during sawtooth collapse. This result indicates that after absolute calibration, the ECEI system can provide more abundant information about experimental research.</sec>

Gallium Fixed-point Blackbody Radiation Source for Calibration of Sea Surface Temperature Radiometer

Gallium Fixed-point Blackbody Radiation Source for Calibration of Sea Surface Temperature Radiometer

Minimally-intrusive, dual-band, fiber-optic sensing system for high-enthalpy exhaust plumes

<abstract> <p>The propulsion research lab at Utah State University has developed a minimally-intrusive optical sensing system for high-temperature/high-velocity gas-generator exhaust plumes. For this application glass fiber-optic cables, acting as radiation conduits, are inserted through the combustion chamber or nozzle wall and look directly into the flow core. The cable transmits data from the flame zone to externally-mounted spectrometers. In order to capture the full-optical spectrum, a blended dual-spectrum system was employed, with one spectrometer system tuned for best-response across the visible-light and near-infrared spectrum, and one spectrometer tuned for best-response in the near- and mid-infrared spectrum. The dual-band sensors are radiometrically-calibrated and the sensed-spectra are spliced together using an optimal Wiener filtering algorithm to perform the deconvolution. The merged spectrum is subsequently curve-fit to Planck's black-body radiation law, and flame temperature is calculated from associated curve maxima (Wien's law). The presented fiber-optic sensing systems performs a function that is analogous to Raman spectroscopy. The system non-contact, high-temperature measurement, and does not interfere with the heat transfer processes. In this report data collected from a lab-scale (200 N) hybrid rocket system are analyzed using the described method. Optically-sensed flame-temperatures are correlated to analytical predictions, and shown to generally agree within a few degrees. Additionally, local maxima in the optical spectra are shown to correspond to emission frequencies of atomic and molecular oxygen, water vapor, and molecular nitrogen; all species known to exist in the hybrid combustion plume. Presented data demonstrate that selected fiber-optics can survive temperature greater than 3000 ℃, for durations of up to 25 seconds.</p> </abstract>

Illuminating a bacterial adaptation mechanism: Infrared-driven cell division in deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments

<p>Based on Planck's black-body radiation law, deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimneys emit light, predominantly infrared light, which potentially supports bacterial photosynthesis in this ecosystem independently of the solar energy. To investigate the impact of this geothermal light on bacterial growth, we collected samples from the Southwest Indian Ridge and demonstrated that infrared light alone promotes bacterial growth and alters population composition. The mechanism of infrared stimulated growth was analyzed by monitoring cell wall synthesis using the <i>Tepidibacter hydrothermalis</i> strain SWIR-1, which was isolated from cultures enriched through infrared irradiation. The results showed that the elevated hydrostatic pressure inhibited septal peptidoglycan synthesis and cell division, but had less effect on cell elongation, chromosome replication and segregation. The dominant cell shape was filaments with some swelling and inertness in cell wall synthesis depending on the level of pressure applied. Interestingly, irradiation with 880 nm infrared light effectively initiated septal synthesis and alleviated the obstruction. This revelation uncovers a novel adaptation mechanism involving infrared light for bacteria dwelling in deep-sea environments, and sheds light on the potential of infrared-mediated photobiomodulation.</p>

Optimization of Multi-Junction Solar Cells for the Orbit of Mars

Photovoltaic (PV) devices have been used in space applications since 1958 and need to be constantly optimized in terms of specific power (W/kg). For the next decade, Mars is one important pursued destination by NASA and, as such, optimized PV designs will be needed. This work presents optimal designs in terms of bandgap energy configuration for multijunction solar cells operating at the Mars’ orbit conditions. For this, a physical model using blackbody radiation was implemented to calculate the solar spectrum at different orbital points and the PV solar cell temperature. By means of a computer simulation based on the Schockley-Queisser detailed balance model, power conversion efficiencies are mapped and the optimal bandgap energy combination is obtained for each configuration. As results, we obtained for the optimized double junction solar cell an efficiency of 45.3% with bandgaps of 0.90/1.60 eV and 51.7% for the best triple junction solar cell with bandgaps of 0.75/1.22/1.84 eV.

Accurate Determination of Blackbody Radiation Shifts in a Strontium Molecular Lattice Clock.

Molecular lattice clocks enable the search for new physics, such as fifth forces or temporal variations of fundamental constants, in a manner complementary to atomic clocks. Blackbody radiation (BBR) is a major contributor to the systematic error budget of conventional atomic clocks and is notoriously difficult to characterize and control. Here, we combine infrared Stark-shift spectroscopy in a molecular lattice clock and modern quantum chemistry methods to characterize the polarizabilities of the Sr_{2} molecule from dc to infrared. Using this description, we determine the static and dynamic blackbody radiation shifts for all possible vibrational clock transitions to the 10^{-16} level. This constitutes an important step toward millihertz-level molecular spectroscopy in Sr_{2} and provides a framework for evaluating BBR shifts in other homonuclear molecules.

Satyendra Nath Bose: quantum statistics to Bose-Einstein condensation

Satyendra Nath (S.N.) Bose is one of the great Indian scientists. His remarkable work on the black body radiation or derivation of Planck’s law led to quantum statistics, in particular, the statistics of photon. Albert Einstein applied Bose’s idea to a gas made of atoms and predicted a new state of matter now called Bose-Einstein condensate. It took 70 years to observe the predicted condensation phenomenon in the laboratory. With a brief introduction to the formative period of Professor Bose, this research survey begins with the founding works on quantum statistics and, subsequently, provides a brief account of the series of events terminating in the experimental realization of Bose-Einstein condensation. We also provide two simple examples to visualize the role of synthetic spin-orbit coupling in a quasi-one-dimensional condensate with attractive atom-atom interaction.