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Electromagnetic radiation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Electromagnetic radiation (EM

radiation or EMR) is the radiant
energy released by certain
electromagnetic processes. Visible
light is electromagnetic radiation, as
is invisible light, such as radio,
infrared, and X-rays. The electromagnetic waves that compose electromagnetic radiation
can be imagined as a self-propagating transverse oscillating wave of
Classically, electromagnetic radiation electric and magnetic fields. This diagram shows a plane linearly
consists of electromagnetic waves, polarized EMR wave propagating from left to right. The electric field
which are synchronized oscillations is in a vertical plane and the magnetic field in a horizontal plane. The
of electric and magnetic fields that electric and magnetic fields in EMR waves are always in phase and at
propagate at the speed of light
90 degrees to each other.
through a vacuum. The oscillations of
the two fields are perpendicular to
each other and perpendicular to the direction of energy and wave propagation, forming a transverse wave.
The wavefront of electromagnetic waves emitted from a point source (such as a lightbulb) is a sphere.
Electromagnetic waves can be characterized by either the frequency or wavelength of their oscillations,
which determines their position in the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes, in order of increasing
frequency and decreasing wavelength: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light,
ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays.[1]

Electromagnetic waves are produced whenever charged particles are accelerated, and these waves can
subsequently interact with any charged particles. EM waves carry energy, momentum and angular
momentum away from their source particle and can impart those quantities to matter with which they
interact. Quanta of EM waves are called photons, which are massless, but they are still affected by
gravity. Electromagnetic radiation is associated with those EM waves that are free to propagate
themselves ("radiate") without the continuing influence of the moving charges that produced them,
because they have achieved sufficient distance from those charges. Thus, EMR is sometimes referred to
as the far field. In this language, the near field refers to EM fields near the charges and current that
directly produced them, specifically, electromagnetic induction and electrostatic induction phenomena.

In the quantum theory of electromagnetism, EMR consists of photons, the elementary particles
responsible for all electromagnetic interactions. Quantum effects provide additional sources of EMR,
such as the transition of electrons to lower energy levels in an atom and black-body radiation. The energy
of an individual photon is quantized and is greater for photons of higher frequency. This relationship is
given by Planck's equation E = hν, where E is the energy per photon, ν is the frequency of the photon, and
h is Planck's constant. A single gamma ray photon, for example, might carry ~100,000 times the energy
of a single photon of visible light.

The effects of EMR upon chemical compounds and biological organisms depend both upon the
radiation's power and its frequency. EMR of visible or lower frequencies (i.e., radio, microwave, infrared,
and visible light) is called non-ionizing radiation, because its photons do not individually have enough
energy to ionize atoms or molecules. The effects of these radiations on chemical systems and living tissue

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are caused primarily by heating effects from the combined energy transfer of many photons. By contrast,
high ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays are called ionizing radiation since individual photons of such
high frequency have enough energy to ionize molecules or break chemical bonds. These radiations have
the ability to cause chemical reactions and damage living cells beyond that resulting from simple heating,
and can be a health hazard.

Contents
◾ 1 Physics
◾ 1.1 Theory
◾ 1.1.1 Maxwell’s equations
◾ 1.1.2 Near and far fields
◾ 1.2 Properties
◾ 1.3 Wave model
◾ 1.4 Particle model and quantum theory
◾ 1.5 Wave–particle duality
◾ 1.6 Wave and particle effects of electromagnetic radiation
◾ 1.7 Propagation speed
◾ 1.8 Special theory of relativity
◾ 2 History of discovery
◾ 3 Electromagnetic spectrum
◾ 3.1 Interactions as a function of frequency
◾ 3.1.1 Radio and microwave
◾ 3.1.2 Infrared
◾ 3.1.3 Visible light
◾ 3.1.4 Ultraviolet
◾ 3.1.5 X-rays and gamma rays
◾ 4 Atmosphere and magnetosphere
◾ 5 Types and sources, classed by spectral band
◾ 5.1 Radio waves
◾ 5.2 Microwaves
◾ 5.3 Infrared
◾ 5.4 Visible light
◾ 5.5 Ultraviolet
◾ 5.6 X-rays
◾ 5.7 Gamma rays
◾ 5.8 Thermal radiation and electromagnetic radiation as a form of heat
◾ 6 Biological effects
◾ 7 Derivation from electromagnetic theory
◾ 8 See also
◾ 9 References
◾ 10 Further reading
◾ 11 External links

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Physics
Theory

Maxwell’s equations

Maxwell derived a wave form of the electric and magnetic

equations, thus uncovering the wave-like nature of electric and
magnetic fields and their symmetry. Because the speed of EM
waves predicted by the wave equation coincided with the
measured speed of light, Maxwell concluded that light itself is an
EM wave. Maxwell’s equations were confirmed by Heinrich
Hertz through experiments with radio waves.

According to Maxwell's equations, a spatially varying electric

field is always associated with a magnetic field that changes over Shows the relative wavelengths of the
time. Likewise, a spatially varying magnetic field is associated
electromagnetic waves of three
with specific changes over time in the electric field. In an
different colours of light (blue, green,
electromagnetic wave, the changes in the electric field are always
and red) with a distance scale in
accompanied by a wave in the magnetic field in one direction, and
micrometers along the x-axis.
vice versa. This relationship between the two occurs without
either type field causing the other; rather, they occur together in
the same way that time and space changes occur together and are interlinked in special relativity. In fact,
magnetic fields may be viewed as relativistic distortions of electric fields, so the close relationship
between space and time changes here is more than an analogy. Together, these fields form a propagating
electromagnetic wave, which moves out into space and need never again affect the source. The distant
EM field formed in this way by the acceleration of a charge carries energy with it that "radiates" away
through space, hence the term.

Near and far fields

Maxwell's equations established that some charges and currents ("sources") produce a local type of
electromagnetic field near them that does not have the behaviour of EMR. Currents directly produce a
magnetic field, but it is of a magnetic dipole type that dies out with distance from the current. In a similar
manner, moving charges pushed apart in a conductor by a changing electrical potential (such as in an
antenna) produce an electric dipole type electrical field, but this also declines with distance. These fields
make up the near-field near the EMR source. Neither of these behaviours are responsible for EM
radiation. Instead, they cause electromagnetic field behaviour that only efficiently transfers power to a
receiver very close to the source, such as the magnetic induction inside a transformer, or the feedback
behaviour that happens close to the coil of a metal detector. Typically, near-fields have a powerful effect
on their own sources, causing an increased “load” (decreased electrical reactance) in the source or
transmitter, whenever energy is withdrawn from the EM field by a receiver. Otherwise, these fields do
not “propagate” freely out into space, carrying their energy away without distance-limit, but rather
oscillate, returning their energy to the transmitter if it is not received by a receiver.

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By contrast, the EM far-field is composed of

radiation that is free of the transmitter in the sense
that (unlike the case in an electrical transformer) the
transmitter requires the same power to send these
changes in the fields out, whether the signal is
immediately picked up or not. This distant part of the
electromagnetic field is "electromagnetic
radiation" (also called the far-field). The far-fields
propagate (radiate) without allowing the transmitter
to affect them. This causes them to be independent in In electromagnetic radiation (such as microwaves
the sense that their existence and their energy, after from an antenna, shown here) the term applies only
they have left the transmitter, is completely to the parts of the electromagnetic field that radiate
independent of both transmitter and receiver. Because into infinite space and decrease in intensity by an
such waves conserve the amount of energy they inverse-square law of power, so that the total
transmit through any spherical boundary surface radiation energy that crosses through an imaginary
drawn around their source, and because such surfaces
spherical surface is the same, no matter how far
have an area that is defined by the square of the
away from the antenna the spherical surface is
distance from the source, the power of EM radiation
drawn. Electromagnetic radiation thus includes the
always varies according to an inverse-square law.
far field part of the electromagnetic field around a
This is in contrast to dipole parts of the EM field
transmitter. A part of the "near-field" close to the
close to the source (the near-field), which varies in
transmitter, forms part of the changing
power according to an inverse cube power law, and
electromagnetic field, but does not count as
thus does not transport a conserved amount of energy
over distances, but instead fades with distance, with electromagnetic radiation.
its energy (as noted) rapidly returning to the
transmitter or absorbed by a nearby receiver (such as a transformer secondary coil).

The far-field (EMR) depends on a different mechanism for its production than the near-field, and upon
different terms in Maxwell’s equations. Whereas the magnetic part of the near-field is due to currents in
the source, the magnetic field in EMR is due only to the local change in the electric field. In a similar
way, while the electric field in the near-field is due directly to the charges and charge-separation in the
source, the electric field in EMR is due to a change in the local magnetic field. Both processes for
producing electric and magnetic EMR fields have a different dependence on distance than do near-field
dipole electric and magnetic fields. That is why the EMR type of EM field becomes dominant in power
“far” from sources. The term “far from sources” refers to how far from the source (moving at the speed of
light) any portion of the outward-moving EM field is located, by the time that source currents are
changed by the varying source potential, and the source has therefore begun to generate an outwardly
moving EM field of a different phase.

A more compact view of EMR is that the far-field that composes EMR is generally that part of the EM
field that has traveled sufficient distance from the source, that it has become completely disconnected
from any feedback to the charges and currents that were originally responsible for it. Now independent of
the source charges, the EM field, as it moves farther away, is dependent only upon the accelerations of
the charges that produced it. It no longer has a strong connection to the direct fields of the charges, or to
the velocity of the charges (currents).

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In the Liénard–Wiechert potential formulation of the electric and magnetic fields due to motion of a
single particle (according to Maxwell's equations), the terms associated with acceleration of the particle
are those that are responsible for the part of the field that is regarded as electromagnetic radiation. By
contrast, the term associated with the changing static electric field of the particle and the magnetic term
that results from the particle's uniform velocity, are both associated with the electromagnetic near-field,
and do not comprise EM radiation.

Properties

Electrodynamics is the physics of electromagnetic radiation, and

electromagnetism is the physical phenomenon associated with the
theory of electrodynamics. Electric and magnetic fields obey the
properties of superposition. Thus, a field due to any particular
particle or time-varying electric or magnetic field contributes to
the fields present in the same space due to other causes. Further,
as they are vector fields, all magnetic and electric field vectors
add together according to vector addition. For example, in optics
two or more coherent lightwaves may interact and by constructive
or destructive interference yield a resultant irradiance deviating
from the sum of the component irradiances of the individual
lightwaves.
Electromagnetic waves can be
Since light is an oscillation it is not affected by travelling through
imagined as a self-propagating
static electric or magnetic fields in a linear medium such as a
transverse oscillating wave of electric
vacuum. However, in nonlinear media, such as some crystals,
and magnetic fields. This 3D
interactions can occur between light and static electric and
animation shows a plane linearly
magnetic fields — these interactions include the Faraday effect
and the Kerr effect. polarized wave propagating from left
to right. Note that the electric and
In refraction, a wave crossing from one medium to another of magnetic fields in such a wave are in-
different density alters its speed and direction upon entering the phase with each other, reaching
new medium. The ratio of the refractive indices of the media minima and maxima together
determines the degree of refraction, and is summarized by Snell's
law. Light of composite wavelengths (natural sunlight) disperses
into a visible spectrum passing through a prism, because of the
wavelength-dependent refractive index of the prism material
(dispersion); that is, each component wave within the composite
light is bent a different amount.

EM radiation exhibits both wave properties and particle properties

at the same time (see wave-particle duality). Both wave and
particle characteristics have been confirmed in many experiments.
Wave characteristics are more apparent when EM radiation is
measured over relatively large timescales and over large distances
while particle characteristics are more evident when measuring
small timescales and distances. For example, when
An alternate view of the wave shown
electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by matter, particle-like
above.
properties will be more obvious when the average number of

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photons in the cube of the relevant wavelength is much smaller than 1. It is not too difficult to
experimentally observe non-uniform deposition of energy when light is absorbed, however this alone is
not evidence of "particulate" behavior. Rather, it reflects the quantum nature of matter.[2] Demonstrating
that the light itself is quantized, not merely its interaction with matter, is a more subtle affair.

Some experiments display both the wave and particle natures of electromagnetic waves, such as the self-
interference of a single photon.[3] When a single photon is sent through an interferometer, it passes
through both paths, interfering with itself, as waves do, yet is detected by a photomultiplier or other
sensitive detector only once.

A quantum theory of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter such as electrons is
described by the theory of quantum electrodynamics.

Electromagnetic waves can be polarized, reflected, refracted, diffracted or interfere with each other.

Wave model

Electromagnetic radiation is a transverse wave, meaning that its oscillations are perpendicular to the
direction of energy transfer and travel. The electric and magnetic parts of the field stand in a fixed ratio of
strengths in order to satisfy the two Maxwell equations that specify how one is produced from the other.
These E and B fields are also in phase, with both reaching maxima and minima at the same points in
space (see illustrations). A common misconception is that the E and B fields in electromagnetic radiation
are out of phase because a change in one produces the other, and this would produce a phase difference
between them as sinusoidal functions (as indeed happens in electromagnetic induction, and in the near-
field close to antennas). However, in the far-field EM radiation which is described by the two source-free
Maxwell curl operator equations, a more correct description is that a time-change in one type of field is
proportional to a space-change in the other. These derivatives require that the E and B fields in EMR are
in-phase (see math section below).

An important aspect of light's nature is its frequency. The frequency of a wave is its rate of oscillation
and is measured in hertz, the SI unit of frequency, where one hertz is equal to one oscillation per second.
Light usually has multiple frequencies that sum to form the resultant wave. Different frequencies undergo
different angles of refraction, a phenomenon known as dispersion.

A wave consists of successive troughs and crests, and the distance between two adjacent crests or troughs
is called the wavelength. Waves of the electromagnetic spectrum vary in size, from very long radio waves
the size of buildings to very short gamma rays smaller than atom nuclei. Frequency is inversely
proportional to wavelength, according to the equation:

where v is the speed of the wave (c in a vacuum, or less in other media), f is the frequency and λ is the
wavelength. As waves cross boundaries between different media, their speeds change but their
frequencies remain constant.

Electromagnetic waves in free space must be solutions of Maxwell's electromagnetic wave equation. Two
main classes of solutions are known, namely plane waves and spherical waves. The plane waves may be
viewed as the limiting case of spherical waves at a very large (ideally infinite) distance from the source.

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Both types of waves can have a waveform which is an arbitrary time function (so long as it is sufficiently
differentiable to conform to the wave equation). As with any time function, this can be decomposed by
means of Fourier analysis into its frequency spectrum, or individual sinusoidal components, each of
which contains a single frequency, amplitude and phase. Such a component wave is said to be
monochromatic. A monochromatic electromagnetic wave can be characterized by its frequency or
wavelength, its peak amplitude, its phase relative to some reference phase, its direction of propagation
and its polarization.

Interference is the superposition of two or more waves resulting in a new wave pattern. If the fields have
components in the same direction, they constructively interfere, while opposite directions cause
destructive interference. An example of interference caused by EMR is electromagnetic interference
(EMI) or as it is more commonly known as, radio-frequency interference (RFI). Additionally, multiple
polarization signals can be combined (i.e. interfered) to form new states of polarization, which is known
as parallel polarization state generation. [4]

The energy in electromagnetic waves is sometimes called radiant energy.

Particle model and quantum theory

An anomaly arose in the late 19th century involving a contradiction between the wave theory of light and
measurements of the electromagnetic spectra that were being emitted by thermal radiators known as black
bodies. Physicists struggled with this problem, which later became known as the ultraviolet catastrophe,
unsuccessfully for many years. In 1900, Max Planck developed a new theory of black-body radiation that
explained the observed spectrum. Planck's theory was based on the idea that black bodies emit light (and
other electromagnetic radiation) only as discrete bundles or packets of energy. These packets were called
quanta. Later, Albert Einstein proposed that light quanta be regarded as real particles. Later the particle of
light was given the name photon, to correspond with other particles being described around this time,
such as the electron and proton. A photon has an energy, E, proportional to its frequency, f, by

where h is Planck's constant, is the wavelength and c is the speed of light. This is sometimes known as
[5]
the Planck–Einstein equation. In quantum theory (see first quantization) the energy of the photons is
thus directly proportional to the frequency of the EMR wave.[6]

Likewise, the momentum p of a photon is also proportional to its frequency and inversely proportional to
its wavelength:

The source of Einstein's proposal that light was composed of particles (or could act as particles in some
circumstances) was an experimental anomaly not explained by the wave theory: the photoelectric effect,
in which light striking a metal surface ejected electrons from the surface, causing an electric current to
flow across an applied voltage. Experimental measurements demonstrated that the energy of individual
ejected electrons was proportional to the frequency, rather than the intensity, of the light. Furthermore,
below a certain minimum frequency, which depended on the particular metal, no current would flow

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regardless of the intensity. These observations appeared to contradict the wave theory, and for years
physicists tried in vain to find an explanation. In 1905, Einstein explained this puzzle by resurrecting the
particle theory of light to explain the observed effect. Because of the preponderance of evidence in favor
of the wave theory, however, Einstein's ideas were met initially with great skepticism among established
physicists. Eventually Einstein's explanation was accepted as new particle-like behavior of light was
observed, such as the Compton effect.

As a photon is absorbed by an atom, it excites the atom, elevating an electron to a higher energy level
(one that is on average farther from the nucleus). When an electron in an excited molecule or atom
descends to a lower energy level, it emits a photon of light at a frequency corresponding to the energy
difference. Since the energy levels of electrons in atoms are discrete, each element and each molecule
emits and absorbs its own characteristic frequencies. Immediate photon emission is called fluorescence, a
type of photoluminescence. An example is visible light emitted from fluorescent paints, in response to
ultraviolet (blacklight). Many other fluorescent emissions are known in spectral bands other than visible
light. Delayed emission is called phosphorescence.

Wave–particle duality

The modern theory that explains the nature of light includes the notion of wave–particle duality. More
generally, the theory states that everything has both a particle nature and a wave nature, and various
experiments can be done to bring out one or the other. The particle nature is more easily discerned using
an object with a large mass. A bold proposition by Louis de Broglie in 1924 led the scientific community
to realize that electrons also exhibited wave–particle duality.

Wave and particle effects of electromagnetic radiation

Together, wave and particle effects fully explain the emission and absorption spectra of EM radiation.
The matter-composition of the medium through which the light travels determines the nature of the
absorption and emission spectrum. These bands correspond to the allowed energy levels in the atoms.
Dark bands in the absorption spectrum are due to the atoms in an intervening medium between source
and observer. The atoms absorb certain frequencies of the light between emitter and detector/eye, then
emit them in all directions. A dark band appears to the detector, due to the radiation scattered out of the
beam. For instance, dark bands in the light emitted by a distant star are due to the atoms in the star's
atmosphere. A similar phenomenon occurs for emission, which is seen when an emitting gas glows due to
excitation of the atoms from any mechanism, including heat. As electrons descend to lower energy levels,
a spectrum is emitted that represents the jumps between the energy levels of the electrons, but lines are
seen because again emission happens only at particular energies after excitation. An example is the
emission spectrum of nebulae. Rapidly moving electrons are most sharply accelerated when they
encounter a region of force, so they are responsible for producing much of the highest frequency
electromagnetic radiation observed in nature.

These phenomena can aid various chemical determinations for the composition of gases lit from behind
(absorption spectra) and for glowing gases (emission spectra). Spectroscopy (for example) determines
what chemical elements comprise a particular star. Spectroscopy is also used in the determination of the
distance of a star, using the red shift.

Propagation speed

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Any electric charge that accelerates, or any changing magnetic field, produces electromagnetic radiation.
Electromagnetic information about the charge travels at the speed of light. Accurate treatment thus
incorporates a concept known as retarded time, which adds to the expressions for the electrodynamic
electric field and magnetic field. These extra terms are responsible for electromagnetic radiation.

When any wire (or other conducting object such as an antenna) conducts alternating current,
electromagnetic radiation is propagated at the same frequency as the current. In many such situations it is
possible to identify an electrical dipole moment that arises from separation of charges due to the exciting
electrical potential, and this dipole moment oscillates in time, as the charges move back and forth. This
oscillation at a given frequency gives rise to changing electric and magnetic fields, which then set the
electromagnetic radiation in motion.

At the quantum level, electromagnetic radiation is produced when the wavepacket of a charged particle
oscillates or otherwise accelerates. Charged particles in a stationary state do not move, but a
superposition of such states may result in a transition state that has an electric dipole moment that
oscillates in time. This oscillating dipole moment is responsible for the phenomenon of radiative
transition between quantum states of a charged particle. Such states occur (for example) in atoms when
photons are radiated as the atom shifts from one stationary state to another.

As a wave, light is characterized by a velocity (the speed of light), wavelength, and frequency. As
particles, light is a stream of photons. Each has an energy related to the frequency of the wave given by
Planck's relation E = hf, where E is the energy of the photon, h = 6.626 × 10−34 J·s is Planck's constant,
and f is the frequency of the wave.

One rule is obeyed regardless of circumstances: EM radiation in a vacuum travels at the speed of light,
relative to the observer, regardless of the observer's velocity. (This observation led to Einstein's
development of the theory of special relativity.)

In a medium (other than vacuum), velocity factor or refractive index are considered, depending on
frequency and application. Both of these are ratios of the speed in a medium to speed in a vacuum.

Special theory of relativity

By the late nineteenth century, various experimental anomalies could not be explained by the simple
wave theory. One of these anomalies involved a controversy over the speed of light. The speed of light
and other EMR predicted by Maxwell's equations did not appear unless the equations were modified in a
way first suggested by FitzGerald and Lorentz (see history of special relativity), or else otherwise that
speed would depend on the speed of observer relative to the "medium" (called luminiferous aether) which
supposedly "carried" the electromagnetic wave (in a manner analogous to the way air carries sound
waves). Experiments failed to find any observer effect. In 1905, Einstein proposed that space and time
appeared to be velocity-changeable entities for light propagation and all other processes and laws. These
changes accounted for the constancy of the speed of light and all electromagnetic radiation, from the
viewpoints of all observers—even those in relative motion.

History of discovery

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Electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths other than those of visible light were discovered in the early
19th century. The discovery of infrared radiation is ascribed to astronomer William Herschel, who
published his results in 1800 before the Royal Society of London.[7] Herschel used a glass prism to refract
light from the Sun and detected invisible rays that caused heating beyond the red part of the spectrum,
through an increase in the temperature recorded with a thermometer. These "calorific rays" were later
termed infrared.

In 1801, German physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter discovered ultraviolet in an experiment similar to
Hershel's, using sunlight and a glass prism. Ritter noted that invisible rays near the violet edge of a solar
spectrum dispersed by a triangular prism darkened silver chloride preparations more quickly than did the
nearby violet light. Ritter's experiments were an early precursor to what would become photography.
Ritter noted that the ultraviolet rays (which at first were called "chemical rays") were capable of causing
chemical reactions.

In 1862-4 James Clerk Maxwell developed equations for the electromagnetic field which suggested that
waves in the field would travel with a speed that was very close to the known speed of light. Maxwell
therefore suggested that visible light (as well as invisible infrared and ultraviolet rays by inference) all
consisted of propagating disturbances (or radiation) in the electromagnetic field. Radio waves were first
produced deliberately by Heinrich Hertz in 1887, using electrical circuits calculated to produce
oscillations at a much lower frequency than that of visible light, following recipes for producing
oscillating charges and currents suggested by Maxwell's equations. Hertz also developed ways to detect
these waves, and produced and characterized what were later termed radio waves and microwaves.[8]:286,7

Wilhelm Röntgen discovered and named X-rays. After experimenting with high voltages applied to an
evacuated tube on 8 November 1895, he noticed a fluorescence on a nearby plate of coated glass. In one
month, he discovered X-rays' main properties.[8]:307

The last portion of the EM spectrum to be discovered was associated with radioactivity. Henri Becquerel
found that uranium salts caused fogging of an unexposed photographic plate through a covering paper in
a manner similar to X-rays, and Marie Curie discovered that only certain elements gave off these rays of
energy, soon discovering the intense radiation of radium. The radiation from pitchblende was
differentiated into alpha rays (alpha particles) and beta rays (beta particles) by Ernest Rutherford through
simple experimentation in 1899, but these proved to be charged particulate types of radiation. However,
in 1900 the French scientist Paul Villard discovered a third neutrally charged and especially penetrating
type of radiation from radium, and after he described it, Rutherford realized it must be yet a third type of
radiation, which in 1903 Rutherford named gamma rays. In 1910 British physicist William Henry Bragg
demonstrated that gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation, not particles, and in 1914 Rutherford and
Edward Andrade measured their wavelengths, finding that they were similar to X-rays but with shorter
wavelengths and higher frequency, although a 'cross-over' between X and gamma rays makes it possible
to have X-rays with a higher energy (and hence shorter wavelength) than gamma rays and vice versa. The
origin of the ray differentiates them, gamma rays tend to be a natural phenomena originating from the
unstable nucleus of an atom and X-rays are electrically generated (and hence man-made) unless they are
as a result of bremsstrahlung X-radiation caused by the interaction of fast moving particles (such as beta
particles) colliding with certain materials, usually of higher atomic numbers.[8]:308,9

Electromagnetic spectrum

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EM radiation (the
designation 'radiation'
excludes static electric
and magnetic and near
fields) is classified by
wavelength into radio,
microwave, infrared,
visible, ultraviolet,
X-rays and gamma
rays. Arbitrary
electromagnetic waves
can be expressed by
Fourier analysis in
terms of sinusoidal
monochromatic waves,
Electromagnetic spectrum with visible light highlighted
which in turn can each
be classified into these
regions of the EMR spectrum.

For certain classes of EM waves, the waveform is

most usefully treated as random, and then spectral
analysis must be done by slightly different
mathematical techniques appropriate to random
or stochastic processes. In such cases, the
individual frequency components are represented
in terms of their power content, and the phase
information is not preserved. Such a
representation is called the power spectral density
of the random process. Random electromagnetic
radiation requiring this kind of analysis is, for
example, encountered in the interior of stars, and
in certain other very wideband forms of radiation
such as the Zero point wave field of the
electromagnetic vacuum.

The behavior of EM radiation depends on its

frequency. Lower frequencies have longer
wavelengths, and higher frequencies have shorter
wavelengths, and are associated with photons of
higher energy. There is no fundamental limit
known to these wavelengths or energies, at either
end of the spectrum, although photons with Legend:
energies near the Planck energy or exceeding it γ = Gamma rays
(far too high to have ever been observed) will
require new physical theories to describe. HX = Hard X-rays
SX = Soft X-Rays

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Soundwaves are not electromagnetic radiation. At EUV = Extreme-ultraviolet

the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum, NUV = Near-ultraviolet
about 20 Hz to about 20 kHz, are frequencies that
might be considered in the audio range. However, Visible light (colored bands)
electromagnetic waves cannot be directly
perceived by human ears. Sound waves are NIR = Near-infrared
instead the oscillating compression of molecules. MIR = Mid-infrared
To be heard, electromagnetic radiation must be FIR = Far-infrared
converted to pressure waves of the fluid in which
the ear is located (whether the fluid is air, water EHF = Extremely high frequency (microwaves)
or something else). SHF = Super-high frequency (microwaves)

Interactions as a function of frequency UHF = Ultrahigh frequency (radio waves)

VHF = Very high frequency (radio)
When EM radiation interacts with matter, its HF = High frequency (radio)
behavior changes qualitatively as its frequency MF = Medium frequency (radio)
changes. LF = Low frequency (radio)
VLF = Very low frequency (radio)
Radio and microwave VF = Voice frequency
ULF = Ultra-low frequency (radio)
At radio and microwave frequencies, EMR SLF = Super-low frequency (radio)
interacts with matter largely as a bulk collection ELF = Extremely low frequency(radio)
of charges which are spread out over large
numbers of affected atoms. In electrical
conductors, such induced bulk movement of charges (electric currents) results in absorption of the EMR,
or else separations of charges that cause generation of new EMR (effective reflection of the EMR). An
example is absorption or emission of radio waves by antennas, or absorption of microwaves by water or
other molecules with an electric dipole moment, as for example inside a microwave oven. These
interactions produce either electric currents or heat, or both.

Infrared

Like radio and microwave, infrared also is reflected by metals (as is most EMR into the ultraviolet).
However, unlike lower-frequency radio and microwave radiation, Infrared EMR commonly interacts with
dipoles present in single molecules, which change as atoms vibrate at the ends of a single chemical bond.
It is consequently absorbed by a wide range of substances, causing them to increase in temperature as the
vibrations dissipate as heat. The same process, run in reverse, causes bulk substances to radiate in the
infrared spontaneously (see thermal radiation section below).

Visible light

As frequency increases into the visible range, photons have enough energy to change the bond structure
of some individual molecules. It is not a coincidence that this happens in the "visible range," as the
mechanism of vision involves the change in bonding of a single molecule (retinal) which absorbs light in
the rhodopsin in the retina of the human eye. Photosynthesis becomes possible in this range as well, for
similar reasons, as a single molecule of chlorophyll is excited by a single photon. Animals that detect
infrared make use of small packets of water that change temperature, in an essentially thermal process

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that involves many photons (see infrared sensing in snakes). For this reason, infrared, microwaves and
radio waves are thought to damage molecules and biological tissue only by bulk heating, not excitation
from single photons of the radiation.

Visible light is able to affect a few molecules with single photons, but usually not in a permanent or
damaging way, in the absence of power high enough to increase temperature to damaging levels.
However, in plant tissues that conduct photosynthesis, carotenoids act to quench electronically excited
chlorophyll produced by visible light in a process called non-photochemical quenching, in order to
prevent reactions that would otherwise interfere with photosynthesis at high light levels. Limited
evidence indicate that some reactive oxygen species are created by visible light in skin, and that these
may have some role in photoaging, in the same manner as ultraviolet A.[9]

Ultraviolet

As frequency increases into the ultraviolet, photons now carry enough energy (about three electron volts
or more) to excite certain doubly bonded molecules into permanent chemical rearrangement. In DNA,
this causes lasting damage. DNA is also indirectly damaged by reactive oxygen species produced by
ultraviolet A (UVA), which has energy too low to damage DNA directly. This is why ultraviolet at all
wavelengths can damage DNA, and is capable of causing cancer, and (for UVB) skin burns (sunburn)
that are far worse than would be produced by simple heating (temperature increase) effects. This property
of causing molecular damage that is out of proportion to heating effects, is characteristic of all EMR with
frequencies at the visible light range and above. These properties of high-frequency EMR are due to
quantum effects that permanently damage materials and tissues at the molecular level.

At the higher end of the ultraviolet range, the energy of photons becomes large enough to impart enough
energy to electrons to cause them to be liberated from the atom, in a process called photoionisation. The
energy required for this is always larger than about 10 electron volts (eV) corresponding with
wavelengths smaller than 124 nm (some sources suggest a more realistic cutoff of 33 eV, which is the
energy required to ionize water). This high end of the ultraviolet spectrum with energies in the
approximate ionization range, is sometimes called "extreme UV." Ionizing UV is strongly filtered by the
Earth's atmosphere).

X-rays and gamma rays

Electromagnetic radiation composed of photons that carry minimum-ionization energy, or more, (which
includes the entire spectrum with shorter wavelengths), is therefore termed ionizing radiation. (Many
other kinds of ionizing radiation are made of non-EM particles). Electromagnetic-type ionizing radiation
extends from the extreme ultraviolet to all higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths, which means that
all X-rays and gamma rays qualify. These are capable of the most severe types of molecular damage,
which can happen in biology to any type of biomolecule, including mutation and cancer, and often at
great depths below the skin, since the higher end of the X-ray spectrum, and all of the gamma ray
spectrum, penetrate matter.

Atmosphere and magnetosphere

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Most UV and X-rays

are blocked by
absorption first from
molecular nitrogen,
and then (for
wavelengths in the
upper UV) from the
electronic excitation
of dioxygen and
finally ozone at the
mid-range of UV.
Only 30% of the Sun's
ultraviolet light
reaches the ground, Rough plot of Earth's atmospheric absorption and scattering (or opacity) of various
and almost all of this wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation
is well transmitted.

Visible light is well transmitted in air, as it is not energetic enough to excite nitrogen, oxygen, or ozone,
but too energetic to excite molecular vibrational frequencies of water vapor.

Absorption bands in the infrared are due to modes of vibrational excitation in water vapor. However, at
energies too low to excite water vapor, the atmosphere becomes transparent again, allowing free
transmission of most microwave and radio waves.

Finally, at radio wavelengths longer than 10 meters or so (about 30 MHz), the air in the lower atmosphere
remains transparent to radio, but plasma in certain layers of the ionosphere begins to interact with radio
waves (see skywave). This property allows some longer wavelengths (100 meters or 3 MHz) to be
reflected and results in shortwave radio beyond line-of-sight. However, certain ionospheric effects begin
to block incoming radiowaves from space, when their frequency is less than about 10 MHz (wavelength
longer than about 30 meters).

Types and sources, classed by spectral band

Radio waves

When radio waves impinge upon a conductor, they couple to the conductor, travel along it and induce an
electric current on the conductor surface by moving the electrons of the conducting material in correlated
bunches of charge. Such effects can cover macroscopic distances in conductors (such as radio antennas),
since the wavelength of radiowaves is long.

Microwaves

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter
to as short as one millimeter; with frequencies between 300 MHz (0.3 GHz) and 300 GHz.

Infrared

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Visible light

Natural sources produce EM radiation across the spectrum. EM radiation with a wavelength between
approximately 400 nm and 700 nm is directly detected by the human eye and perceived as visible light.
Other wavelengths, especially nearby infrared (longer than 700 nm) and ultraviolet (shorter than 400 nm)
are also sometimes referred to as light.

Ultraviolet

X-rays

Gamma rays

Thermal radiation and electromagnetic radiation as a form of heat

The basic structure of matter involves charged particles bound together. When electromagnetic radiation
impinges on matter, it causes the charged particles to oscillate and gain energy. The ultimate fate of this
energy depends on the context. It could be immediately re-radiated and appear as scattered, reflected, or
transmitted radiation. It may get dissipated into other microscopic motions within the matter, coming to
thermal equilibrium and manifesting itself as thermal energy in the material. With a few exceptions
related to high-energy photons (such as fluorescence, harmonic generation, photochemical reactions, the
photovoltaic effect for ionizing radiations at far ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma radiation), absorbed
electromagnetic radiation simply deposits its energy by heating the material. This happens for infrared,
microwave and radio wave radiation. Intense radio waves can thermally burn living tissue and can cook
food. In addition to infrared lasers, sufficiently intense visible and ultraviolet lasers can easily set paper
afire.

Ionizing radiation creates high-speed electrons in a material and breaks chemical bonds, but after these
electrons collide many times with other atoms eventually most of the energy becomes thermal energy all
in a tiny fraction of a second. This process makes ionizing radiation far more dangerous per unit of
energy than non-ionizing radiation. This caveat also applies to UV, even though almost all of it is not
ionizing, because UV can damage molecules due to electronic excitation, which is far greater per unit
energy than heating effects.

Infrared radiation in the spectral distribution of a black body is usually considered a form of heat, since it
has an equivalent temperature and is associated with an entropy change per unit of thermal energy.
However, "heat" is a technical term in physics and thermodynamics and is often confused with thermal
energy. Any type of electromagnetic energy can be transformed into thermal energy in interaction with
matter. Thus, any electromagnetic radiation can "heat" (in the sense of increase the thermal energy
termperature of) a material, when it is absorbed.

The inverse or time-reversed process of absorption is thermal radiation. Much of the thermal energy in
matter consists of random motion of charged particles, and this energy can be radiated away from the
matter. The resulting radiation may subsequently be absorbed by another piece of matter, with the
deposited energy heating the material.

The electromagnetic radiation in an opaque cavity at thermal equilibrium is effectively a form of thermal
energy, having maximum radiation entropy.

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Biological effects
Bioelectromagnetics is the study of the interactions and effects of EM radiation on living organisms. The
effects of electromagnetic radiation upon living cells, including those in humans, depends upon the
radiation's power and frequency. For low-frequency radiation (radio waves to visible light) the best-
understood effects are those due to radiation power alone, acting through heating when radiation is
absorbed. For these thermal effects, frequency is important only as it affects penetration into the organism
(for example, microwaves penetrate better than infrared). Initially, it was believed that low frequency
fields that were too weak to cause significant heating could not possibly have any biological effect.[10]

Despite this opinion among researchers, evidence has accumulated that supports the existence of complex
biological effects of weaker non-thermal electromagnetic fields, (including weak ELF magnetic fields,
although the latter does not strictly qualify as EM radiation[10][11][12]), and modulated RF and microwave
fields.[13][14][15] Fundamental mechanisms of the interaction between biological material and
electromagnetic fields at non-thermal levels are not fully understood.[10]

The World Health Organization has classified radio frequency electromagnetic radiation as Group 2B -
possibly carcinogenic.[16][17] This group contains possible carcinogens that have weaker evidence, at the
same level as coffee and automobile exhaust. For example, epidemiological studies looking for a
relationship between cell phone use and brain cancer development, have been largely inconclusive, save
to demonstrate that the effect, if it exists, cannot be a large one.

At higher frequencies (visible and beyond), the effects of individual photons begin to become important,
as these now have enough energy individually to directly or indirectly damage biological molecules.[18]
All UV frequences have been classed as Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
Ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure is the primary cause of skin cancer.[19][20]

Thus, at UV frequencies and higher (and probably somewhat also in the visible range),[9] electromagnetic
radiation does more damage to biological systems than simple heating predicts. This is most obvious in
the "far" (or "extreme") ultraviolet. UV, with X-ray and gamma radiation, are referred to as ionizing
radiation due to the ability of photons of this radiation to produce ions and free radicals in materials
(including living tissue). Since such radiation can severely damage life at energy levels that produce little
heating, it is considered far more dangerous (in terms of damage-produced per unit of energy, or power)
than the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Derivation from electromagnetic theory

Electromagnetic waves were predicted by the classical laws of electricity and magnetism, known as
Maxwell's equations. Inspection of Maxwell's equations without sources (charges or currents) results in
nontrivial solutions of changing electric and magnetic fields. Beginning with Maxwell's equations in free
space:

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where

is a vector differential operator (see Del).

One solution,

is trivial.

For a more useful solution, we utilize vector identities, which work for any vector, as follows:

The curl of equation (2):

Evaluating the left hand side:

simplifying the above by using equation (1).

Evaluating the right hand side:

Equations (6) and (7) are equal, so this results in a vector-valued differential equation for the electric
field, namely

Applying a similar pattern results in similar differential equation for the magnetic field:

These differential equations are equivalent to the wave equation:

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where

c0 is the speed of the wave in free space and

f describes a displacement

Or more simply:

where is d'Alembertian:

In the case of the electric and magnetic fields, the speed is:

This is the speed of light in vacuum. Maxwell's equations unified the vacuum permittivity , the vacuum
permeability , and the speed of light itself, c0. This relationship had been discovered by Wilhelm
Eduard Weber and Rudolf Kohlrausch prior to the development of Maxwell's electrodynamics, however
Maxwell was the first to produce a field theory consistent with waves traveling at the speed of light.

These are only two equations versus the original four, so more information pertains to these waves hidden
within Maxwell's equations. A generic vector wave for the electric field.

Here, is the constant amplitude, is any second differentiable function, is a unit vector in the
direction of propagation, and is a position vector. is a generic solution to the wave
equation. In other words,

for a generic wave traveling in the direction.

This form will satisfy the wave equation.

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The first of Maxwell's equations implies that the electric field is orthogonal to the direction the wave
propagates.

The second of Maxwell's equations yields the magnetic field. The remaining equations will be satisfied
by this choice of .

The electric and magnetic field waves in the far-field travel at the speed of light. They have a special
restricted orientation and proportional magnitudes, , which can be seen immediately from the
Poynting vector. The electric field, magnetic field, and direction of wave propagation are all orthogonal,
and the wave propagates in the same direction as . Also, E and B far-fields in free space, which as
wave solutions depend primarily on these two Maxwell equations, are in-phase with each other. This is
guaranteed since the generic wave solution is first order in both space and time, and the curl operator on
one side of these equations results in first-order spatial derivatives of the wave solution, while the time-
derivative on the other side of the equations, which gives the other field, is first order in time, resulting in
the same phase shift for both fields in each mathematical operation.

From the viewpoint of an electromagnetic wave traveling forward, the electric field might be oscillating
up and down, while the magnetic field oscillates right and left. This picture can be rotated with the
electric field oscillating right and left and the magnetic field oscillating down and up. This is a different
solution that is traveling in the same direction. This arbitrariness in the orientation with respect to
propagation direction is known as polarization. On a quantum level, it is described as photon polarization.
The direction of the polarization is defined as the direction of the electric field.

More general forms of the second-order wave equations given above are available, allowing for both non-
vacuum propagation media and sources. Many competing derivations exist, all with varying levels of
approximation and intended applications. One very general example is a form of the electric field
equation,[21] which was factorized into a pair of explicitly directional wave equations, and then efficiently
reduced into a single uni-directional wave equation by means of a simple slow-evolution approximation.

See also
◾ Antenna (radio)
◾ Antenna measurement
◾ Bioelectromagnetism
◾ Bolometer
◾ Control of electromagnetic radiation
◾ Electromagnetic field
◾ Electromagnetic pulse
◾ Electromagnetic radiation and health
◾ Electromagnetic spectrum
◾ Electromagnetic wave equation
◾ Evanescent wave coupling

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◾ Finite-difference time-domain method

◾ Helicon
◾ Impedance of free space
◾ Light
◾ Maxwell's equations
◾ Near and far field
◾ Radiant energy
◾ Radiation reaction
◾ Risks and benefits of sun exposure
◾ Sinusoidal plane-wave solutions of the electromagnetic wave equation

References

1. Maxwell, J. Clerk (1 January 1865). "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field". Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society of London. pp. 459–512. doi:10.1098/rstl.1865.0008.
2. Carmichael, H. J. "Einstein and the Photoelectric Effect" (PDF). Quantum Optics Theory Group, University of
Auckland. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
3. Thorn, J. J.; Neel, M. S.; Donato, V. W.; Bergreen, G. S.; Davies, R. E.; Beck, M. (2004). "Observing the
quantum behavior of light in an undergraduate laboratory" (PDF). American Journal of Physics. 72 (9): 1210.
Bibcode:2004AmJPh..72.1210T. doi:10.1119/1.1737397.
4. She, Alan; Capasso, Federico (17 May 2016). "Parallel Polarization State Generation". Scientific Reports.
Nature. doi:10.1038/srep26019. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
5. Paul M. S. Monk (2004). Physical Chemistry. John Wiley and Sons. p. 435. ISBN 978-0-471-49180-4.
6. Weinberg, S. (1995). The Quantum Theory of Fields. 1. Cambridge University Press. pp. 15–17. ISBN 0-521-
55001-7.
7. Herschel, William (1 January 1800). "Experiments on the Refrangibility of the Invisible Rays of the Sun. By
William Herschel, LL. D. F. R. S". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 90: 284–292.
JSTOR 107057.
8. James Jeans (1947) The Growth of Physical Science
(https://archive.org/stream/growthofphysical029068mbp#page/n11/mode/2up), link from Internet Archive
9. Liebel, F.; Kaur, S.; Ruvolo, E.; Kollias, N.; Southall, M. D. (2012). "Irradiation of Skin with Visible Light
Induces Reactive Oxygen Species and Matrix-Degrading Enzymes". Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
132 (7): 1901–1907. doi:10.1038/jid.2011.476. PMID 22318388.
10. Binhi, Vladimir N (2002). Magnetobiology: Underlying Physical Problems. Repiev, A & Edelev, M
(translators from Russian). San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 1–16. ISBN 978-0-12-100071-4.
OCLC 49700531.
11. Delgado, J. M.; Leal, J.; Monteagudo, J. L.; Gracia, M. G. (1982). "Embryological changes induced by weak,
extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields". Journal of Anatomy. 134 (Pt 3): 533–551. PMC 1167891 .
PMID 7107514.
12. Harland, J. D.; Liburdy, R. P. (1997). "Environmental magnetic fields inhibit the antiproliferative action of
tamoxifen and melatonin in a human breast cancer cell line". Bioelectromagnetics. 18 (8): 555–562.
doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-186X(1997)18:8<555::AID-BEM4>3.0.CO;2-1. PMID 9383244.
13. Aalto, S.; Haarala, C.; Brück, A.; Sipilä, H.; Hämäläinen, H.; Rinne, J. O. (2006). "Mobile phone affects
cerebral blood flow in humans". Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism. 26 (7): 885–890.
doi:10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600279. PMID 16495939.
14. Cleary, S. F.; Liu, L. M.; Merchant, R. E. (1990). "In vitro lymphocyte proliferation induced by radio-
frequency electromagnetic radiation under isothermal conditions". Bioelectromagnetics. 11 (1): 47–56.
doi:10.1002/bem.2250110107. PMID 2346507.
15. Ramchandani, P. (2004). "Prevalence of childhood psychiatric disorders may be underestimated". Evidence-
based mental health. 7 (2): 59. doi:10.1136/ebmh.7.2.59. PMID 15107355.

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Electromagnetic radiation - Wikipedia Page 21 of 22

16. IARC classifies Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans

(http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf). World Health Organization. 31 May 2011
17. "Trouble with cell phone radiation standard". CBS News.
18. See Liebel, F; Kaur, S; Ruvolo, E; Kollias, N; Southall, M. D. (July 2012). "Irradiation of skin with visible
light induces reactive oxygen species and matrix-degrading enzymes". J. Invest. Dermatol. 132 (7): 1901–7.
doi:10.1038/jid.2011.476. PMID 22318388. for evidence of quantum damage from visible light via reactive
oxygen species generated in skin. This happens also with UVA. With UVB, the damage to DNA becomes
direct, with photochemical formation of pyrimidine dimers.
19. Narayanan, DL; Saladi, RN; Fox, JL (September 2010). "Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer". International
Journal of Dermatology. 49 (9): 978–86. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2010.04474.x. PMID 20883261.
20. Saladi, RN; Persaud, AN (January 2005). "The causes of skin cancer: a comprehensive review". Drugs of
today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998). 41 (1): 37–53. doi:10.1358/dot.2005.41.1.875777. PMID 15753968.
21. Kinsler, P. (2010). "Optical pulse propagation with minimal approximations". Phys. Rev. A. 81: 013819.
arXiv:0810.5689 . Bibcode:2010PhRvA..81a3819K. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.81.013819.

Further reading
◾ Hecht, Eugene (2001). Optics (4th ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN 0-8053-8566-5.
◾ Serway, Raymond A.; Jewett, John W. (2004). Physics for Scientists and Engineers (6th ed.).
Brooks Cole. ISBN 0-534-40842-7.
◾ Tipler, Paul (2004). Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Electricity, Magnetism, Light, and
Elementary Modern Physics (5th ed.). W. H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-0810-8.
◾ Reitz, John; Milford, Frederick; Christy, Robert (1992). Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory
(4th ed.). Addison Wesley. ISBN 0-201-52624-7.
◾ Jackson, John David (1999). Classical Electrodynamics (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN 0-471-30932-X.
◾ Allen Taflove and Susan C. Hagness (2005). Computational Electrodynamics: The Finite-
Difference Time-Domain Method, 3rd ed. Artech House Publishers. ISBN 1-58053-832-0.

External links
◾ Electromagnetism Wikisource has original
text related to this article:
Pictured Electro-
Magnetic Waves

(http://www.lightandmatter.com/html_books/0sn/ch11/ch11.html) – a chapter from an online

textbook
◾ Electromagnetic Waves from Maxwell's Equations
(http://www.physnet.org/modules/pdf_modules/m210.pdf) on Project PHYSNET
(http://www.physnet.org).
◾ Radiation of atoms? e-m wave, Polarisation, ...
(http://www.hydrogenlab.de/elektronium/HTML/einleitung_hauptseite_uk.html)
◾ An Introduction to The Wigner Distribution in Geometric Optics
(https://web.archive.org/web/20120110201014/http://scripts.mit.edu/~raskar/lightfields/index.php?
title=An_Introduction_to_The_Wigner_Distribution_in_Geometric_Optics)
◾ The windows of the electromagnetic spectrum, on Astronoo
(http://www.astronoo.com/articles/electromagneticSpectrum-en.html)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation 12/27/2016
Electromagnetic radiation - Wikipedia Page 22 of 22

◾ Introduction to light and electromagnetic radiation

(https://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/universe-scale-topic/light-
fundamental-forces/v/introduction-to-light) course video from the Khan Academy
◾ Lectures on electromagnetic waves (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02sc-physics-ii-
electricity-and-magnetism-fall-2010/electromagnetic-waves/) course video and notes from MIT
Professor Walter Lewin
◾ Encyclopedia Britannica Electromagnetic Radiation
(http://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetic-radiation)
◾ Physics for the 21st Century Early Unification for Electromagnetism Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics (http://www.learner.org/courses/physics/unit/text.html?unit=2&secNum=4)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

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