18.05.2017.

ElectromagneticspectrumWikipedia

Electromagneticspectrum
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Theelectromagneticspectrumisthecollectivetermforallknownfrequenciesandtheirlinkedwavelengthsof
theknownphotons(electromagneticradiation).The"electromagneticspectrum"ofanobjecthasadifferent
meaning,andisinsteadthecharacteristicdistributionofelectromagneticradiationemittedorabsorbedbythat
particularobject.

Theelectromagneticspectrumextendsfrombelowthelowfrequenciesusedformodernradiocommunication
togammaradiationattheshortwavelength(highfrequency)end,therebycoveringwavelengthsfrom
thousandsofkilometersdowntoafractionofthesizeofanatom.Visiblelightliestowardtheshorterend,with
wavelengthsfrom400to700nanometres.Thelimitforlongwavelengthsisthesizeoftheuniverseitself,
whileitisthoughtthattheshortwavelengthlimitisinthevicinityofthePlancklength.[4]Untilthemiddleof
the20thcenturyitwasbelievedbymostphysiciststhatthisspectrumwasinfiniteandcontinuous.

Nearlyalltypesofelectromagneticradiationcanbeusedforspectroscopy,tostudyandcharacterizematter.[5]
Othertechnologicalusesaredescribedunderelectromagneticradiation.

Contents
1 Historyofelectromagneticspectrumdiscovery
2 Rangeofthespectrum
3 Rationaleforspectrumregionalnames
4 Typesofradiation
4.1 Boundaries
4.2 Regionsofthespectrum
4.3 Radiofrequency
4.4 Microwaves
4.5 Terahertzradiation
4.6 Infraredradiation
4.7 Visibleradiation(light)
4.8 Ultravioletradiation
4.9 Xrays
4.10 Gammarays
5 Seealso
6 Notesandreferences
7 Externallinks

Historyofelectromagneticspectrumdiscovery
Formostofhistory,visiblelightwastheonlyknownpartoftheelectromagneticspectrum.TheancientGreeks
recognizedthatlighttraveledinstraightlinesandstudiedsomeofitsproperties,includingreflectionand
refraction.Thestudyoflightcontinued,andduringthe16thand17thcenturiesconflictingtheoriesregarded
lightaseitherawaveoraparticle.[6]

Thefirstdiscoveryofelectromagneticradiationotherthanvisiblelightcamein1800,whenWilliamHerschel
discoveredinfraredradiation.[7]Hewasstudyingthetemperatureofdifferentcolorsbymovingathermometer
throughlightsplitbyaprism.Henoticedthatthehighesttemperaturewasbeyondred.Hetheorizedthatthis
temperaturechangewasdueto"calorificrays"thatwereatypeoflightraythatcouldnotbeseen.

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Thenextyear,JohannRitter,
workingattheotherendofthe Freq Wave
Class Energy
spectrum,noticedwhathecalled uency length
"chemicalrays"(invisiblelight 300EHz 1pm 1.24MeV
raysthatinducedcertainchemical Gammarays
reactions).Thesebehaved 30EHz 10pm 124keV
HX HardXrays
similarlytovisiblevioletlight Ionizing 3EHz 100pm 12.4keV
rays,butwerebeyondtheminthe radiation SX SoftXrays 300PHz 1nm 1.24keV
spectrum.[8]Theywerelater
renamedultravioletradiation. Extreme 30PHz 10nm 124eV
EUV
ultraviolet
Electromagneticradiationhad
beenfirstlinkedto Near 3PHz 100nm 12.4eV
NUV
electromagnetismin1845,when ultraviolet
MichaelFaradaynoticedthatthe Visible 300THz 1m 1.24eV
polarizationoflighttraveling NIR Nearinfrared
throughatransparentmaterial 30THz 10m 124meV
respondedtoamagneticfield(see MIR Midinfrared

Faradayeffect).Duringthe1860s 3THz 100m 12.4meV
JamesMaxwelldevelopedfour FIR Farinfrared
partialdifferentialequationsfor 300GHz 1mm 1.24meV
theelectromagneticfield.Twoof Extremelyhigh
EHF
theseequationspredictedthe frequency
possibilityof,andbehaviorof, 30GHz 1cm 124eV
Superhigh
wavesinthefield.Analyzingthe SHF
frequency
speedofthesetheoreticalwaves,
3GHz 1dm 12.4eV
Maxwellrealizedthattheymust Ultrahigh
travelataspeedthatwasabout UHF
Micro frequency
theknownspeedoflight.This waves 300MHz 1m 1.24eV
startlingcoincidenceinvalueled Veryhigh
VHF
Maxwelltomaketheinference and frequency
30MHz 10m 124neV
thatlightitselfisatypeof High
electromagneticwave. radio HF frequency
waves 3MHz 100m 12.4neV
Maxwell'sequationspredictedan Medium
MF
infinitenumberoffrequenciesof frequency
electromagneticwaves,all 300kHz 1km 1.24neV
Low
travelingatthespeedoflight. LF
frequency
Thiswasthefirstindicationofthe 30kHz 10km 124peV
existenceoftheentire Verylow
VLF
electromagneticspectrum. frequency
3kHz 100km 12.4peV
Maxwell'spredictedwaves ULF Ultralowfrequency
includedwavesatverylow 300Hz 1Mm 1.24peV
Superlow
frequenciescomparedtoinfrared, SLF
frequency
whichintheorymightbecreated 30Hz 10Mm 124feV
byoscillatingchargesinan Extremelylow
ELF 3Hz 100Mm 12.4feV
ordinaryelectricalcircuitofa frequency
certaintype.Attemptingtoprove Sources:File:Lightspectrum.svg[1][2][3]
Maxwell'sequationsanddetect
suchlowfrequency Legend[1][2][3]
electromagneticradiation,in1886 =Gammarays MIR=Midinfrared HF=Highfreq.
thephysicistHeinrichHertzbuilt HX=HardXrays FIR=Farinfrared MF=Mediumfreq.
anapparatustogenerateand SX=SoftXrays Radiowaves LF=Lowfreq.
detectwhatarenowcalledradio EUV=Extremeultraviolet EHF=Extremelyhighfreq. VLF=Verylowfreq.
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waves.Hertzfoundthewavesand NUV=Nearultraviolet SHF=Superhighfreq. VF/ULF=Voicefreq.

wasabletoinfer(bymeasuring Visiblelight UHF=Ultrahighfreq. SLF=Superlowfreq.
theirwavelengthandmultiplying NIR=NearInfrared VHF=Veryhighfreq. ELF=Extremelylowfreq.
itbytheirfrequency)thatthey Freq=Frequency
traveledatthespeedoflight.
Hertzalsodemonstratedthatthe
newradiationcouldbebothreflectedandrefractedbyvariousdielectricmedia,inthesamemanneraslight.
Forexample,Hertzwasabletofocusthewavesusingalensmadeoftreeresin.Inalaterexperiment,Hertz
similarlyproducedandmeasuredthepropertiesofmicrowaves.Thesenewtypesofwavespavedthewayfor
inventionssuchasthewirelesstelegraphandtheradio.

In1895WilhelmRntgennoticedanewtypeofradiationemittedduringanexperimentwithanevacuatedtube
subjectedtoahighvoltage.Hecalledtheseradiationsxraysandfoundthattheywereabletotravelthrough
partsofthehumanbodybutwerereflectedorstoppedbydensermattersuchasbones.Beforelong,manyuses
werefoundfortheminthefieldofmedicine.

Thelastportionoftheelectromagneticspectrumwasfilledinwiththediscoveryofgammarays.In1900Paul
Villardwasstudyingtheradioactiveemissionsofradiumwhenheidentifiedanewtypeofradiationthathefirst
thoughtconsistedofparticlessimilartoknownalphaandbetaparticles,butwiththepowerofbeingfarmore
penetratingthaneither.However,in1910,BritishphysicistWilliamHenryBraggdemonstratedthatgamma
raysareelectromagneticradiation,notparticles,andin1914,ErnestRutherford(whohadnamedthemgamma
raysin1903whenherealizedthattheywerefundamentallydifferentfromchargedalphaandbetaparticles)
andEdwardAndrademeasuredtheirwavelengths,andfoundthatgammaraysweresimilartoXrays,butwith
shorterwavelengthsandhigherfrequencies.

Rangeofthespectrum
Electromagneticwavesaretypicallydescribedbyanyofthefollowingthreephysicalproperties:thefrequency
f,wavelength,orphotonenergyE.Frequenciesobservedinastronomyrangefrom2.4 1023Hz(1GeV
gammarays)downtothelocalplasmafrequencyoftheionizedinterstellarmedium(~1kHz).Wavelengthis
inverselyproportionaltothewavefrequency,[5]sogammarayshaveveryshortwavelengthsthatarefractions
ofthesizeofatoms,whereaswavelengthsontheoppositeendofthespectrumcanbeaslongastheuniverse.
Photonenergyisdirectlyproportionaltothewavefrequency,sogammarayphotonshavethehighestenergy
(aroundabillionelectronvolts),whileradiowavephotonshaveverylowenergy(aroundafemtoelectronvolt).
Theserelationsareillustratedbythefollowingequations:

where:

c=299 792 458m/sisthespeedoflightinavacuum

h=6.626 068 96(33) 1034Js=4.135 667 33(10) 1015eVsisPlanck'sconstant.[9]

Wheneverelectromagneticwavesexistinamediumwithmatter,theirwavelengthisdecreased.Wavelengthsof
electromagneticradiation,nomatterwhatmediumtheyaretravelingthrough,areusuallyquotedintermsofthe
vacuumwavelength,althoughthisisnotalwaysexplicitlystated.

Generally,electromagneticradiationisclassifiedbywavelengthintoradiowave,microwave,terahertz(orsub
millimeter)radiation,infrared,thevisibleregionthatisperceivedaslight,ultraviolet,Xraysandgammarays.
ThebehaviorofEMradiationdependsonitswavelength.WhenEMradiationinteractswithsingleatomsand
molecules,itsbehavioralsodependsontheamountofenergyperquantum(photon)itcarries.

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SpectroscopycandetectamuchwiderregionoftheEMspectrumthanthevisiblerangeof400nmto700nm.
Acommonlaboratoryspectroscopecandetectwavelengthsfrom2nmto2500nm.Detailedinformationabout
thephysicalpropertiesofobjects,gases,orevenstarscanbeobtainedfromthistypeofdevice.Spectroscopes
arewidelyusedinastrophysics.Forexample,manyhydrogenatomsemitaradiowavephotonthathasa
wavelengthof21.12cm.Also,frequenciesof30Hzandbelowcanbeproducedbyandareimportantinthe
studyofcertainstellarnebulae[10]andfrequenciesashighas2.9 1027Hzhavebeendetectedfrom
astrophysicalsources.[11]

Rationaleforspectrumregionalnames
Electromagneticradiationinteractswithmatterindifferentwaysacrossthespectrum.Thesetypesof
interactionaresodifferentthathistoricallydifferentnameshavebeenappliedtodifferentpartsofthespectrum,
asthoughtheseweredifferenttypesofradiation.Thus,althoughthese"differentkinds"ofelectromagnetic
radiationformaquantitativelycontinuousspectrumoffrequenciesandwavelengths,thespectrumremains
dividedforpracticalreasonsrelatedtothesequalitativeinteractiondifferences.

Electromagneticradiationinteractionwithmatter
Regionofthespectrum Maininteractionswithmatter
Collectiveoscillationofchargecarriersinbulkmaterial(plasmaoscillation).
Radio
Anexamplewouldbetheoscillatorytravelsoftheelectronsinanantenna.
Microwavethroughfarinfrared Plasmaoscillation,molecularrotation
Nearinfrared Molecularvibration,plasmaoscillation(inmetalsonly)
Molecularelectronexcitation(includingpigmentmoleculesfoundinthe
Visible
humanretina),plasmaoscillations(inmetalsonly)
Excitationofmolecularandatomicvalenceelectrons,includingejectionof
Ultraviolet
theelectrons(photoelectriceffect)
Excitationandejectionofcoreatomicelectrons,Comptonscattering(forlow
Xrays
atomicnumbers)
Energeticejectionofcoreelectronsinheavyelements,Comptonscattering
Gammarays (forallatomicnumbers),excitationofatomicnuclei,includingdissociation
ofnuclei
Creationofparticleantiparticlepairs.Atveryhighenergiesasinglephoton
Highenergygammarays cancreateashowerofhighenergyparticlesandantiparticlesupon
interactionwithmatter.

Typesofradiation
Boundaries

Adiscussionoftheregions(orbandsortypes)oftheelectromagneticspectrumisgivenbelow.Notethatthere
arenopreciselydefinedboundariesbetweenthebandsoftheelectromagneticspectrumrathertheyfadeinto
eachotherlikethebandsinarainbow(whichisthesubspectrumofvisiblelight).Radiationofeachfrequency
andwavelength(orineachband)hasamixofpropertiesofthetworegionsofthespectrumthatboundit.For
example,redlightresemblesinfraredradiationinthatitcanexciteandaddenergytosomechemicalbondsand
indeedmustdosotopowerthechemicalmechanismsresponsibleforphotosynthesisandtheworkingofthe
visualsystem.

Regionsofthespectrum

Thetypesofelectromagneticradiationarebroadlyclassifiedintothefollowingclasses:[5]

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1.Gammaradiation
2.Xrayradiation
3.Ultravioletradiation
4.Visibleradiation
5.Infraredradiation
6.Terahertzradiation
7.Microwaveradiation
8.Radiowaves

Thisclassificationgoesintheincreasingorderof
wavelength,whichischaracteristicofthetypeof
radiation.[5]While,ingeneral,theclassificationschemeis
accurate,inrealitythereisoftensomeoverlapbetween
neighboringtypesofelectromagneticenergy.Forexample,
SLFradiowavesat60Hzmaybereceivedandstudiedby
astronomers,ormaybeductedalongwiresaselectric
power,althoughthelatteris,inthestrictsense,not
electromagneticradiationatall(seenearandfarfield).

ThedistinctionbetweenXraysandgammaraysispartly
basedonsources:thephotonsgeneratedfromnuclear
decayorothernuclearandsubnuclear/particleprocess,are
alwaystermedgammarays,whereasXraysaregenerated
byelectronictransitionsinvolvinghighlyenergeticinner
atomicelectrons.[12][13][14]Ingeneral,nucleartransitions
aremuchmoreenergeticthanelectronictransitions,so Theelectromagneticspectrum
gammaraysaremoreenergeticthanXrays,butexceptions
exist.Byanalogytoelectronictransitions,muonic
atomtransitionsarealsosaidtoproduceXrays,even
thoughtheirenergymayexceed6megaelectronvolts
(0.96pJ),[15]whereastherearemany(77knowntobe
lessthan10keV(1.6fJ))lowenergynuclear
transitions(e.g.,the7.6eV(1.22aJ)nucleartransition
ofthorium229),and,despitebeingonemillionfold
lessenergeticthansomemuonicXrays,theemitted
photonsarestillcalledgammaraysduetotheir
nuclearorigin.[16]

TheconventionthatEMradiationthatisknownto Adiagramoftheelectromagneticspectrum,showing
comefromthenucleus,isalwayscalled"gammaray" variouspropertiesacrosstherangeoffrequenciesand
radiationistheonlyconventionthatisuniversally wavelengths
respected,however.Manyastronomicalgammaray
sources(suchasgammaraybursts)areknowntobe
tooenergetic(inbothintensityandwavelength)tobeofnuclearorigin.Quiteoften,inhighenergyphysicsand
inmedicalradiotherapy,veryhighenergyEMR(inthe>10MeVregion)whichisofhigherenergythanany
nucleargammarayisnotcalledXrayorgammaray,butinsteadbythegenerictermof"highenergy
photons."

Theregionofthespectrumwhereaparticularobservedelectromagneticradiationfalls,isreferenceframe
dependent(duetotheDopplershiftforlight),soEMradiationthatoneobserverwouldsayisinoneregionof
thespectrumcouldappeartoanobservermovingatasubstantialfractionofthespeedoflightwithrespectto
thefirsttobeinanotherpartofthespectrum.Forexample,considerthecosmicmicrowavebackground.Itwas
produced,whenmatterandradiationdecoupled,bythedeexcitationofhydrogenatomstothegroundstate.
ThesephotonswerefromLymanseriestransitions,puttingthemintheultraviolet(UV)partofthe

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electromagneticspectrum.Nowthisradiationhasundergoneenoughcosmologicalredshifttoputitintothe
microwaveregionofthespectrumforobserversmovingslowly(comparedtothespeedoflight)withrespectto
thecosmos.

Radiofrequency

Radiowavesgenerallyareutilizedbyantennasofappropriatesize(accordingtotheprincipleofresonance),
withwavelengthsrangingfromhundredsofmeterstoaboutonemillimeter.Theyareusedfortransmissionof
data,viamodulation.Television,mobilephones,wirelessnetworking,andamateurradioalluseradiowaves.
Theuseoftheradiospectrumisregulatedbymanygovernmentsthroughfrequencyallocation.

Radiowavescanbemadetocarryinformationbyvaryingacombinationoftheamplitude,frequency,and
phaseofthewavewithinafrequencyband.WhenEMradiationimpingesuponaconductor,itcouplestothe
conductor,travelsalongit,andinducesanelectriccurrentonthesurfaceofthatconductorbyexcitingthe
electronsoftheconductingmaterial.Thiseffect(theskineffect)isusedinantennas.

Microwaves

Thesuperhighfrequency(SHF)andextremely
highfrequency(EHF)ofmicrowavesareonthe
shortsideofradiowaves.Microwavesarewaves
thataretypicallyshortenough(measuredin
millimeters)toemploytubularmetalwaveguidesof
reasonablediameter.Microwaveenergyisproduced
withklystronandmagnetrontubes,andwithsolid
statediodessuchasGunnandIMPATTdevices.
Microwavesareabsorbedbymoleculesthathavea
dipolemomentinliquids.Inamicrowaveoven,
PlotofEarth'satmospherictransmittance(oropacity)to
thiseffectisusedtoheatfood.Lowintensity
variouswavelengthsofelectromagneticradiation.
microwaveradiationisusedinWiFi,althoughthis
isatintensitylevelsunabletocausethermal
heating.

Volumetricheating,asusedbymicrowaveovens,transfersenergythroughthematerialelectromagnetically,not
asathermalheatflux.Thebenefitofthisisamoreuniformheatingandreducedheatingtimemicrowavescan
heatmaterialinlessthan1%ofthetimeofconventionalheatingmethods.

Whenactive,theaveragemicrowaveovenispowerfulenoughtocauseinterferenceatcloserangewithpoorly
shieldedelectromagneticfieldssuchasthosefoundinmobilemedicaldevicesandpoorlymadeconsumer
electronics.[17]

Terahertzradiation

Terahertzradiationisaregionofthespectrumbetweenfarinfraredandmicrowaves.Untilrecently,therange
wasrarelystudiedandfewsourcesexistedformicrowaveenergyatthehighendoftheband(submillimeter
wavesorsocalledterahertzwaves),butapplicationssuchasimagingandcommunicationsarenowappearing.
Scientistsarealsolookingtoapplyterahertztechnologyinthearmedforces,wherehighfrequencywaves
mightbedirectedatenemytroopstoincapacitatetheirelectronicequipment.[18]

Infraredradiation

Theinfraredpartoftheelectromagneticspectrumcoverstherangefromroughly300GHzto400THz(1mm
750nm).Itcanbedividedintothreeparts:[5]

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Farinfrared,from300GHzto30THz(1mm10m).Thelowerpartofthisrangemayalsobecalled
microwavesorterahertzwaves.Thisradiationistypicallyabsorbedbysocalledrotationalmodesingas
phasemolecules,bymolecularmotionsinliquids,andbyphononsinsolids.ThewaterinEarth's
atmosphereabsorbssostronglyinthisrangethatitrenderstheatmosphereineffectopaque.However,
therearecertainwavelengthranges("windows")withintheopaquerangethatallowpartialtransmission,
andcanbeusedforastronomy.Thewavelengthrangefromapproximately200muptoafewmmis
oftenreferredtoas"submillimeter"inastronomy,reservingfarinfraredforwavelengthsbelow200m.
Midinfrared,from30to120THz(102.5m).Hotobjects(blackbodyradiators)canradiatestrongly
inthisrange,andhumanskinatnormalbodytemperatureradiatesstronglyatthelowerendofthis
region.Thisradiationisabsorbedbymolecularvibrations,wherethedifferentatomsinamolecule
vibratearoundtheirequilibriumpositions.Thisrangeissometimescalledthefingerprintregion,since
themidinfraredabsorptionspectrumofacompoundisveryspecificforthatcompound.
Nearinfrared,from120to400THz(2,500750nm).Physicalprocessesthatarerelevantforthisrange
aresimilartothoseforvisiblelight.Thehighestfrequencesinthisregioncanbedetecteddirectlyby
sometypesofphotographicfilm,andbymanytypesofsolidstateimagesensorsforinfrared
photographyandvideography.

Visibleradiation(light)

Aboveinfraredinfrequencycomesvisiblelight.TheSunemitsitspeakpowerinthevisibleregion,although
integratingtheentireemissionpowerspectrumthroughallwavelengthsshowsthattheSunemitsslightlymore
infraredthanvisiblelight.[19]Bydefinition,visiblelightisthepartoftheEMspectrumthehumaneyeisthe
mostsensitiveto.Visiblelight(andnearinfraredlight)istypicallyabsorbedandemittedbyelectronsin
moleculesandatomsthatmovefromoneenergyleveltoanother.Thisactionallowsthechemicalmechanisms
thatunderliehumanvisionandplantphotosynthesis.Thelightthatexcitesthehumanvisualsystemisavery
smallportionoftheelectromagneticspectrum.Arainbowshowstheoptical(visible)partofthe
electromagneticspectruminfrared(ifitcouldbeseen)wouldbelocatedjustbeyondtheredsideofthe
rainbowwithultravioletappearingjustbeyondthevioletend.

Electromagneticradiationwithawavelengthbetween380nmand760nm(400790terahertz)isdetectedby
thehumaneyeandperceivedasvisiblelight.Otherwavelengths,especiallynearinfrared(longerthan760nm)
andultraviolet(shorterthan380nm)arealsosometimesreferredtoaslight,especiallywhenthevisibilityto
humansisnotrelevant.Whitelightisacombinationoflightsofdifferentwavelengthsinthevisiblespectrum.
Passingwhitelightthroughaprismsplitsitupintotheseveralcolorsoflightobservedinthevisiblespectrum
between400nmand780nm.

IfradiationhavingafrequencyinthevisibleregionoftheEMspectrumreflectsoffanobject,say,abowlof
fruit,andthenstrikestheeyes,thisresultsinvisualperceptionofthescene.Thebrain'svisualsystemprocesses
themultitudeofreflectedfrequenciesintodifferentshadesandhues,andthroughthisinsufficientlyunderstood
psychophysicalphenomenon,mostpeopleperceiveabowloffruit.

Atmostwavelengths,however,theinformationcarriedbyelectromagneticradiationisnotdirectlydetectedby
humansenses.NaturalsourcesproduceEMradiationacrossthespectrum,andtechnologycanalsomanipulate
abroadrangeofwavelengths.Opticalfibertransmitslightthat,althoughnotnecessarilyinthevisiblepartof
thespectrum(itisusuallyinfrared),cancarryinformation.Themodulationissimilartothatusedwithradio
waves.

Ultravioletradiation

Nextinfrequencycomesultraviolet(UV).ThewavelengthofUVraysisshorterthanthevioletendofthe
visiblespectrumbutlongerthantheXray.

UVintheveryshortestwavelengthrange(nexttoXrays)iscapableofionizingatoms(seephotoelectric
effect),greatlychangingtheirphysicalbehavior.

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AtthemiddlerangeofUV,UVrayscannotionizebutcanbreak
chemicalbonds,makingmoleculesunusuallyreactive.Sunburn,for
example,iscausedbythedisruptiveeffectsofmiddlerangeUV
radiationonskincells,whichisthemaincauseofskincancer.UVrays
inthemiddlerangecanirreparablydamagethecomplexDNA
moleculesinthecellsproducingthyminedimersmakingitaverypotent
mutagen.

TheSunemitssignificantUVradiation(about10%ofitstotalpower),
includingextremelyshortwavelengthUVthatcouldpotentiallydestroy
mostlifeonland(oceanwaterwouldprovidesomeprotectionforlife TheamountofpenetrationofUV
there).However,mostoftheSun'sdamagingUVwavelengthsare relativetoaltitudeinEarth'sozone
absorbedbytheatmospherebeforetheyreachthesurface.Thehigher
energy(shortestwavelength)rangesofUV(called"vacuumUV")areabsorbedbynitrogenand,atlonger
wavelengths,bysimplediatomicoxygenintheair.MostoftheUVinthemidrangeofenergyisblockedby
theozonelayer,whichabsorbsstronglyintheimportant200315nmrange,thelowerenergypartofwhichis
toolongforordinarydioxygeninairtoabsorb.Thisleaveslessthan3%ofsunlightatsealevelinUV,withall
ofthisremainderatthelowerenergies.TheremainderisUVA,alongwithsomeUVB.Theverylowest
energyrangeofUVbetween315nmandvisiblelight(calledUVA)isnotblockedwellbytheatmosphere,but
doesnotcausesunburnanddoeslessbiologicaldamage.However,itisnotharmlessanddoescreateoxygen
radicals,mutationsandskindamage.Seeultravioletformoreinformation.

Xrays

AfterUVcomeXrays,which,liketheupperrangesofUVarealsoionizing.However,duetotheirhigher
energies,XrayscanalsointeractwithmatterbymeansoftheComptoneffect.HardXrayshaveshorter
wavelengthsthansoftXraysandastheycanpassthroughmanysubstanceswithlittleabsorption,theycanbe
usedto'seethrough'objectswith'thicknesses'lessthanthatequivalenttoafewmetersofwater.Onenotable
useisdiagnosticXrayimaginginmedicine(aprocessknownasradiography).Xraysareusefulasprobesin
highenergyphysics.Inastronomy,theaccretiondisksaroundneutronstarsandblackholesemitXrays,
enablingstudiesofthesephenomena.Xraysarealsoemittedbythecoronasofstarsandarestronglyemitted
bysometypesofnebulae.However,XraytelescopesmustbeplacedoutsidetheEarth'satmospheretosee
astronomicalXrays,sincethegreatdepthoftheatmosphereofEarthisopaquetoXrays(witharealdensityof
1000gramspercm2),equivalentto10metersthicknessofwater.[20]Thisisanamountsufficienttoblock
almostallastronomicalXrays(andalsoastronomicalgammaraysseebelow).

Gammarays

AfterhardXrayscomegammarays,whichwerediscoveredbyPaulVillardin1900.Thesearethemost
energeticphotons,havingnodefinedlowerlimittotheirwavelength.Inastronomytheyarevaluablefor
studyinghighenergyobjectsorregions,howeveraswithXraysthiscanonlybedonewithtelescopesoutside
theEarth'satmosphere.Gammaraysareusedexperimentallybyphysicistsfortheirpenetratingabilityandare
producedbyanumberofradioisotopes.Theyareusedforirradiationoffoodsandseedsforsterilization,andin
medicinetheyareoccasionallyusedinradiationcancertherapy.[21]Morecommonly,gammaraysareusedfor
diagnosticimaginginnuclearmedicine,anexamplebeingPETscans.Thewavelengthofgammarayscanbe
measuredwithhighaccuracythroughtheeffectsofComptonscattering.

Seealso
Bandplan Infraredwindow
Cosmicray Ionizingradiation
Digitaldividendafterdigitaltelevision Listofinternationalcommonstandards
transition Opticalwindow
Electroencephalography Ozonelayer
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Radiantenergy Vband
Radiation Wband
Radiowindow
Spectroscopy

Notesandreferences
1.WhatisLight?(http://cbst.ucdavis.edu/education/courses/winter2006IST8A/ist8a_2006_01_09light.pdf)Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20131205005843/http://cbst.ucdavis.edu/education/courses/winter2006IST8A/ist8a_20
06_01_09light.pdf)December5,2013,attheWaybackMachine.UCDavislectureslides
2.Elert,Glenn."TheElectromagneticSpectrum,ThePhysicsHypertextbook"(http://hypertextbook.com/physics/electric
ity/emspectrum/).Hypertextbook.com.Retrieved20101016.
3."Definitionoffrequencybandson"(http://www.vlf.it/frequency/bands.html).Vlf.it.Retrieved20101016.
4.Bakshi,U.A.Godse,A.P.(2009).BasicElectronicsEngineering(https://books.google.com/books?id=n0RMHUQ
UUY4C).TechnicalPublications.pp.810.ISBN9788184315806.
5.Mehta,Akul."IntroductiontotheElectromagneticSpectrumandSpectroscopy"(http://pharmaxchange.info/press/201
1/08/introductiontotheelectromagneticspectrumandspectroscopy/).Pharmaxchange.info.Retrieved20111108.
6.Haitel,Gary(20140515).OriginsandGrandFinale:HowtheBibleandSciencerelatetotheOriginofEverything,
AbusesofPoliticalAuthority,andEndTimesPredictions(https://books.google.com/books?id=WfHPAwAAQBAJ&p
g=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=For+most+of+history,+visible+light+was+the+only+known+part+of+the+electromagnetic+s
pectrum.+The+ancient+Greeks+recognized+that+light+traveled+in+straight+lines+and+studied+some+of+its+properti
es,+including+reflection+and+refraction.+The+study+of+light+continued,+and+during+the+16th+and+17th+centuries
+conflicting+theories+regarded+light+as+either+a+wave+or+a+particle&source=bl&ots=8pcqri9yMW&sig=_fva0pg
CiAkHAvV0kRy6AnrlZao&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdzti1v9nRAhUJLyYKHWbzBYsQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage
&q=For%20most%20of%20history,%20visible%20light%20was%20the%20only%20known%20part%20of%20the%
20electromagnetic%20spectrum.%20The%20ancient%20Greeks%20recognized%20that%20light%20traveled%20in%
20straight%20lines%20and%20studied%20some%20of%20its%20properties,%20including%20reflection%20and%20
refraction.%20The%20study%20of%20light%20continued,%20and%20during%20the%2016th%20and%2017th%20ce
nturies%20conflicting%20theories%20regarded%20light%20as%20either%20a%20wave%20or%20a%20particle&f=f
alse).iUniverse.ISBN9781491732571.
7."HerschelDiscoversInfraredLight"(https://web.archive.org/web/20120225094516/http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.ed
u/cosmic_classroom/classroom_activities/herschel_bio.html).CoolCosmosClassroomactivities.Archivedfromthe
original(http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/classroom_activities/herschel_bio.html)on201202
25.Retrieved4March2013."Hedirectedsunlightthroughaglassprismtocreateaspectrum[]andthenmeasured
thetemperatureofeachcolour.[]Hefoundthatthetemperaturesofthecolorsincreasedfromtheviolettothered
partofthespectrum.[]Herscheldecidedtomeasurethetemperaturejustbeyondtheredofthespectruminaregion
wherenosunlightwasvisible.Tohissurprise,hefoundthatthisregionhadthehighesttemperatureofall."
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r.html).TheFloridaStateUniversity.Retrieved5March2013."Ritter[]hypothesizedthattheremustalsobe
invisibleradiationbeyondthevioletendofthespectrumandcommencedexperimentstoconfirmhisspeculation.He
beganworkingwithsilverchloride,asubstancedecomposedbylight,measuringthespeedatwhichdifferentcolors
oflightbrokeitdown.[]Ritter[]demonstratedthatthefastestrateofdecompositionoccurredwithradiation
thatcouldnotbeseen,butthatexistedinaregionbeyondtheviolet.Ritterinitiallyreferredtothenewtypeof
radiationaschemicalrays,butthetitleofultravioletradiationeventuallybecamethepreferredterm."
9.Mohr,PeterJ.Taylor,BarryN.Newell,DavidB.(2008)."CODATARecommendedValuesoftheFundamental
PhysicalConstants:2006"(http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html).ReviewsofModernPhysics.80(2):
633730.arXiv:0801.0028(https://arxiv.org/abs/0801.0028) .Bibcode:2008RvMP...80..633M(http://adsabs.harvar
d.edu/abs/2008RvMP...80..633M).doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.80.633(https://doi.org/10.1103%2FRevModPhys.80.63
3).Directlinktovalue(http://physics.nist.gov/cgibin/cuu/Value?h).
10.Condon,J.J.Ransom,S.M."EssentialRadioAstronomy:PulsarProperties"(http://www.cv.nrao.edu/course/astr53
4/Pulsars.html).NationalRadioAstronomyObservatory.Retrieved20080105.
11.Abdo,A.A.Allen,B.Berley,D.Blaufuss,E.Casanova,S.Chen,C.Coyne,D.G.Delay,R.S.Dingus,B.
L.Ellsworth,R.W.Fleysher,L.Fleysher,R.Gebauer,I.Gonzalez,M.M.Goodman,J.A.Hays,E.Hoffman,
C.M.Kolterman,B.E.Kelley,L.A.Lansdell,C.P.Linnemann,J.T.McEnery,J.E.Mincer,A.I.
Moskalenko,I.V.Nemethy,P.Noyes,D.Ryan,J.M.Samuelson,F.W.SazParkinson,P.M.etal.(2007).
"DiscoveryofTeVGammaRayEmissionfromtheCygnusRegionoftheGalaxy".TheAstrophysicalJournal.658:
L33.arXiv:astroph/0611691(https://arxiv.org/abs/astroph/0611691) .Bibcode:2007ApJ...658L..33A(http://adsab
s.harvard.edu/abs/2007ApJ...658L..33A).doi:10.1086/513696(https://doi.org/10.1086%2F513696).
12.Feynman,RichardLeighton,RobertSands,Matthew(1963).TheFeynmanLecturesonPhysics,Vol.1.USA:
AddisonWesley.pp.25.ISBN0201021161.
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18.05.2017. ElectromagneticspectrumWikipedia

13.L'Annunziata,MichaelBaradei,Mohammad(2003).HandbookofRadioactivityAnalysis(https://books.google.com/?
id=b519e10OPT0C&pg=PA58&dq=gamma+xray).AcademicPress.p.58.ISBN0124366031.
14.Grupen,ClausCowan,G.Eidelman,S.D.Stroh,T.(2005).AstroparticlePhysics.Springer.p.109.ISBN3540
253122.
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5.pdf)slacpub0335(1967)
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Retrieved20101016.
17.Paithankar,A.S.(2001)."Electromagneticinterferencebyhighpowermicrowaves"(http://www.academia.edu/277427
21/Electromagnetic_interference_by_high_power_microwaves).INEMIC20012002:2022.
18."AdvancedweaponsystemsusinglethalShortpulseterahertzradiationfromhighintensitylaserproducedplasmas"
(https://web.archive.org/web/20100106223741/http://indiadaily.com/editorial/1803.asp).IndiaDaily.March6,2005.
Archivedfromtheoriginal(http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1803.asp)on6January2010.Retrieved20100927.
19."ReferenceSolarSpectralIrradiance:AirMass1.5"(http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/spectra/am1.5/).Retrieved
20091112.
20.Koontz,Steve(26June2012)DesigningSpacecraftandMissionOperationsPlanstoMeetFlightCrewRadiation
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21.UsesofElectromagneticWaves|gcserevision,physics,waves,useselectromagneticwaves|RevisionWorld(http://
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Externallinks
UnwantedEmissions.com(http://www.unwantedemissions.com/)
WikimediaCommonshas
(U.S.radiospectrumallocationsresource)
mediarelatedto
AustralianRadiofrequencySpectrumAllocationsChart(http://w Electromagneticspectrum.
ww.acma.gov.au/webwr/radcomm/frequency_planning/spectrum_
plan/arspwc.pdf)(fromAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority)
CanadianTableofFrequencyAllocations(http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smtgst.nsf/vwapj/spectallocatio
n08.pdf/$FILE/spectallocation08.pdf)(fromIndustryCanada)
U.S.FrequencyAllocationChart(http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.html)Coveringthe
range3kHzto300GHz(fromDepartmentofCommerce)
UKfrequencyallocationtable(http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/spectrumstrat/future/str
at02/strategy02app_b.pdf)(fromOfcom,whichinheritedtheRadiocommunicationsAgency'sduties,pdf
format)
FlashEMSpectrumPresentation/Tool(http://attic.emotiv.net/emspectrum)Verycompleteand
customizable.
Howtorenderthecolorspectrum/Code(https://web.archive.org/web/20090104154951/http://mintaka.s
dsu.edu/GF/explain/optics/rendering.html#CIEdiag/)Onlyapproximatelyright.
Poster"ElectromagneticRadiationSpectrum"(http://unihedron.com/projects/spectrum/downloads/spectr
um_20090210.pdf)(992kB)
ElectromagneticSpectrumpresentation(http://prezi.com/3qp57ddr0fmw/electromagneticspectrum/)
ElectromagneticSpectrumStrategy:ACalltoAction(http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo46210)U.S.
DepartmentofDefense

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