Radiant energy

that emitted about 5.31047 joules of gravitational-wave

energy.[7]

2 Analysis

Visible light, such as sunlight carries radiant energy, which is

used in solar power generation.

In radiometry, radiant energy is the energy of

electromagnetic and gravitational radiation.[1] The SI unit
of radiant energy is the joule (J). The quantity of radiant energy may be calculated by integrating radiant ux
(or power) with respect to time. The symbol Q is often used throughout literature to denote radiant energy
(e for energetic, to avoid confusion with photometric
quantities). In branches of physics other than radiometry,
electromagnetic energy is referred to using E or W. The
term is used particularly when electromagnetic radiation
is emitted by a source into the surrounding environment.
This radiation may be visible or invisible to the human
eye.[2][3]

Cherenkov radiation glowing in the core of a TRIGA reactor.

Because electromagnetic (EM) radiation can be conceptualized as a stream of photons, radiant energy can be
viewed as the energy carried by these photons. Alternatively, EM radiation can be viewed as an electromagnetic
wave, which carries energy in its oscillating electric and
magnetic elds. These two views are completely equivalent and are reconciled to one another in quantum eld
theory (see wave-particle duality).

EM radiation can have various frequencies. The bands

of frequency present in a given EM signal may be sharply
dened, as is seen in atomic spectra, or may be broad, as
in blackbody radiation. In the photon picture, the energy
carried by each photon is proportional to its frequency.
1 Terminology use and history
In the wave picture, the energy of a monochromatic wave
is proportional to its intensity. This implies that if two
The term radiant energy is most commonly used in the EM waves have the same intensity, but dierent frequenelds of radiometry, solar energy, heating and lighting, cies, the one with the higher frequency contains fewer
but is also sometimes used in other elds (such as photons, since each photon is more energetic.
telecommunications). In modern applications involving When EM waves are absorbed by an object, the energy
transmission of power from one location to another, ra- of the waves is converted to heat (or converted to elecdiant energy is sometimes used to refer to the electro- tricity in case of a photoelectric material). This is a very
magnetic waves themselves, rather than their energy (a familiar eect, since sunlight warms surfaces that it irraproperty of the waves). In the past, the term electro- diates. Often this phenomenon is associated particularly
radiant energy has also been used.[4]
with infrared radiation, but any kind of electromagnetic
The term radiant energy also applies to gravitational radiation will warm an object that absorbs it. EM waves
radiation.[5][6] For example, the rst gravitational waves can also be reected or scattered, in which case their enever observed were produced by a black hole collision ergy is redirected or redistributed as well.
1

2.1

Open systems

Radiant energy is one of the mechanisms by which energy

can enter or leave an open system.[8][9][10] Such a system
can be man-made, such as a solar energy collector, or
natural, such as the Earths atmosphere. In geophysics,
most atmospheric gases, including the greenhouse gases,
allow the Suns short-wavelength radiant energy to pass
through to the Earths surface, heating the ground and
oceans. The absorbed solar energy is partly re-emitted as
longer wavelength radiation (chiey infrared radiation),
some of which is absorbed by the atmospheric greenhouse gases. Radiant energy is produced in the sun as
a result of nuclear fusion.[11]

Applications

Radiant energy is used for radiant heating.[12] It can be

generated electrically by infrared lamps, or can be absorbed from sunlight and used to heat water. The heat
energy is emitted from a warm element (oor, wall, overhead panel) and warms people and other objects in rooms
rather than directly heating the air. Because of this, the
air temperature may be lower than in a conventionally
heated building, even though the room appears just as
comfortable.
Various other applications of radiant energy have been
devised.[13] These include:
Treatment and inspection
Separating and sorting
Medium of control
Medium of communication
Many of these applications involve a source of radiant
energy and a detector that responds to that radiation and
provides a signal representing some characteristic of the
radiation. Radiant energy detectors produce responses to
incident radiant energy either as an increase or decrease
in electric potential or current ow or some other perceivable change, such as exposure of photographic lm.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

4 SI radiometry units
[1] Standards organizations recommend that radiometric
quantities should be denoted with sux e (for energetic) to avoid confusion with photometric or photon
quantities.
[2] Alternative symbols sometimes seen: W or E for radiant
energy, P or F for radiant ux, I for irradiance, W for
radiant exitance.
[3] Spectral quantities given per unit frequency are denoted
with sux "" (Greek)not to be confused with sux
v (for visual) indicating a photometric quantity.
[4] Spectral quantities given per unit wavelength are denoted
with sux "" (Greek).
[5] Directional quantities are denoted with sux "" (Greek).

5 See also
6 Notes and references
[1] "Radiant energy". Federal standard 1037C
[2] George Frederick Barker, Physics: Advanced Course, page
367
[3] Hardis, Jonathan E., "Visibility of Radiant Energy". PDF.
[4] Examples: US 1005338 Transmitting apparatus, US
1018555 Signaling by electroradiant energy, and US
1597901 Radio apparatus.
[5] Kenneck, Daniel. Traveling at the Speed of Thought:
Einstein and the Quest for Gravitational Waves. Princeton
University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-11727-0. Retrieved 9
March 2016.
[6] Sciama, Dennis (17 February 1972). Cutting the
Galaxys losses. New Scientist: 373. Retrieved 9 March
2016.
[7] Abbott, B.P. (11 February 2016). Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
[8] Moran, M.J. and Shapiro, H.N., Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, Chapter 4. Mass Conservation
for an Open System, 5th Edition, John Wiley and Sons.
ISBN 0-471-27471-2.

One of the earliest wireless telephones to be based on ra[9] Robert W. Christopherson, Elemental Geosystems, Fourth
diant energy was invented by Nikola Tesla. The device
Edition. Prentice Hall, 2003. Pages 608. ISBN 0-13used transmitters and receivers whose resonances were
101553-2
tuned to the same frequency, allowing communication
between them. In 1916, he recounted an experiment he [10] James Grier Miller and Jessie L. Miller, The Earth as a
System.
had done in 1896.[14] He recalled that Whenever I received the eects of a transmitter, one of the simplest
[11] Energy transformation. assets.cambridge.org. (excerpt)
ways [to detect the wireless transmissions] was to apply a
magnetic eld to currents generated in a conductor, and [12] US 1317883 Method of generating radiant energy and
projecting same through free air for producing heat
when I did so, the low frequency gave audible notes.

[13] Class 250, Radiant Energy, USPTO. March 2006.

[14] Anderson, Leland I. (editor), Nikola Tesla On His Work
With Alternating Currents and Their Application to Wireless Telegraphy, Telephony and Transmission of Power,
2002, ISBN 1-893817-01-6.

Lang, Kenneth R. (1999). Astrophysical Formulae.

Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-29692-8.
Mischler, Georg (2003). Radiant energy. Lighting
Design Knowledgebase. Retrieved 29 Oct 2008.
Elion, Glenn R. (1979). Electro-Optics Handbook.
CRC Press Technology & Industrial Arts. ISBN 08247-6879-5.

Further reading
Caverly, Donald Philip, Primer of Electronics and
Radiant Energy. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1952.
Whittaker, E. T. (Apr 1929). What is energy?".
The Mathematical Gazette (The Mathematical Association) 14 (200): 401406. doi:10.2307/3606954.
JSTOR 3606954.

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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