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The wavelength (or alternatively wavenumber or wave vector) is a characterization of the wave in space, that is functionally related to its frequency, as constrained by the physics of the system. Sinusoids are the simplest traveling wave solutions, and more complex solutions can be built up by superposition.
For example, a wavenumber in inverse centimeters can be converted to a frequency expressed in the unit gigahertz by multiplying by 29.979 2458 cm/ns (the speed of light, in centimeters per nanosecond); [5] conversely, an electromagnetic wave at 29.9792458 GHz has a wavelength of 1 cm in free space.
The 41.8% point is the wavelength-frequency-neutral peak (i.e. the peak in power per unit change in logarithm of wavelength or frequency). These are the points at which the respective Planck-law functions 1 / λ 5 , ν 3 and ν 2 / λ 2 , respectively, divided by exp ( hν / k B T ) − 1 attain their maxima.
Formally, the wavelength version of Wien's displacement law states that the spectral radiance of black-body radiation per unit wavelength, peaks at the wavelength given by: where T is the absolute temperature and b is a constant of proportionality called Wien's displacement constant, equal to 2.897771955...×10−3m⋅K, 1 2 or b ≈ 2898 μm ⋅K.
Compton wavelength. The Compton wavelength is a quantum mechanical property of a particle, defined as the wavelength of a photon whose energy is the same as the rest energy of that particle (see mass–energy equivalence). It was introduced by Arthur Compton in 1923 in his explanation of the scattering of photons by electrons (a process known ...
The form that gives the greatest insight into the underlying physics has (angular frequency) on the y-axis and k (wave number) on the x-axis. The form used by Viktorov, that brought Lamb waves into practical use, has wave velocity on the y -axis and d / λ {\displaystyle d/\lambda } , the thickness/wavelength ratio, on the x -axis.
In physics, the Rayleigh–Jeans law is an approximation to the spectral radiance of electromagnetic radiation as a function of wavelength from a black body at a given temperature through classical arguments. For wavelength λ, it is where is the spectral radiance (the power emitted per unit emitting area, per steradian, per unit wavelength ...
Quantum mechanics. Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality. At all scales where measurements have been practical, matter exhibits wave -like behavior. For example, a beam of electrons can be diffracted just like a beam of light or a water wave.