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Radiant intensity, a radiometric quantity measured in watts per steradian (W/sr) Luminous intensity, a photometric quantity measured in lumens per steradian (lm/sr), or candela (cd) Irradiance, a radiometric quantity, measured in watts per square meter (W/m 2) Intensity (physics), the name for irradiance used in other branches of physics (W/m 2)
In radiometry, radiance is the radiant flux emitted, reflected, transmitted or received by a given surface, per unit solid angle per unit projected area. Radiance is used to characterize diffuse emission and reflection of electromagnetic radiation , and to quantify emission of neutrinos and other particles.
In radiometry, irradiance is the radiant flux received by a surface per unit area. The SI unit of irradiance is the watt per square metre (symbol W⋅m −2 or W/m 2).The CGS unit erg per square centimetre per second (erg⋅cm −2 ⋅s −1) is often used in astronomy.
Mathematically, for the spectral power distribution of a radiant exitance or irradiance one may write: =where M(λ) is the spectral irradiance (or exitance) of the light (SI units: W/m 2 = kg·m −1 ·s −3); Φ is the radiant flux of the source (SI unit: watt, W); A is the area over which the radiant flux is integrated (SI unit: square meter, m 2); and λ is the wavelength (SI unit: meter, m).
Radiant intensity is used to characterize the emission of radiation by an antenna: [2], = (), where E e is the irradiance of the antenna;; r is the distance from the antenna.; Unlike power density, radiant intensity does not depend on distance: because radiant intensity is defined as the power through a solid angle, the decreasing power density over distance due to the inverse-square law is ...
The terms irradiance, radiant exitance, radiant emittance, and radiosity are closely related to spectral flux density. The terms used to describe spectral flux density vary between fields, sometimes including adjectives such as "electromagnetic" or "radiative", and sometimes dropping the word "density". Applications include:
Irradiance in space is a function of distance from the Sun, the solar cycle, and cross-cycle changes. [2] Irradiance on the Earth's surface additionally depends on the tilt of the measuring surface, the height of the Sun above the horizon, and atmospheric conditions. [3] Solar irradiance affects plant metabolism and animal behavior. [4]
Radiance L along a ray can be thought of as the amount of light traveling along all possible straight lines through a tube whose size is determined by its solid angle and cross-sectional area. For geometric optics —i.e., to incoherent light and to objects larger than the wavelength of light—the fundamental carrier of light is a ray .