refined Blackbody Information, explanation, recent texts, monographs, and related patents.
Information & explanations, latest texts & monographs on Blackbody (including recent related patents.)


Blackbody

In physics a blackbody is an object that absorbs all light that falls onto it (and thus reflects none). Despite the name, blackbodies do radiate light, but they just don't reflect any. The spectrum (amount of light emitted at each wavelength) of a blackbody is very characteristic, and depends entirely on its temperature.
  • The light emitted by a blackbody is called blackbody radiation.
A blackbody is an ideal emitter which radiates energy at the maximum possible rate per unit area at each wavelength for any given temperature. A blackbody also absorbs all the radiant energy incident on it: i.e. no energy is reflected or transmitted. An object deviating from an ideal blackbody is sometimes called a grey body. The deviations are determined by the both the geometrical structure and the chemical composition, and follow Kirchhoff's Law: emissivity equals absorptivity, so that an object that does not absorb all incident light will also emit less radiation than an ideal blackbody. The term "black body" was introduced by Gustav Kirchhoff in 1862. The spectrum of a blackbody was first derived by Max Planck, who had to assume that electromagnetic radiation could propagate only in discrete packets, or quanta (an assumption required to avoid the ultraviolet catastrophe, and later confirmed by Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect). The intensity of radiation from a blackbody at temperature T is given by the Planck's Law of Radiation: where I(ν)δν is the amount of energy per unit surface per unit time per unit solid angle emitted in the frequency range between ν and ν+δν; h is Planck's constant, c is the speed of light and k is Boltzmann's constant. The wavelength at which the radiation is strongest is given by Wien's law, and the overall power emitted per unit area is given by the Stefan-Boltzmann law. In the laboratory, the closest thing to a blackbody is a small hole to a cavity with a non-smooth, black surface. In astronomy, such objects as stars are frequently regarded as blackbodies, though this may be a bad approximation. An almost perfect blackbody spectrum is exhibited by the cosmic microwave background radiation. External link and references
This article is adapted from from Wikipedia All Wikipedia article text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity, 1894-1912 by Thomas S. Kuhn

Black Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity: 1894-1912 by Thomas S. Kuhn

CRC Handbook of Tables of Functions for Applied Optics by Leo Levi

Scaling blackbody laser to high powers (SuDoc NAS 1.15:86395) by R. J. De Young

EOS/AMSU-A blackbody spacecraft test targets operation and maintenance manual : contract no. NAS 5-32314 (SuDoc NAS 1.26:209221) by NASA

Studies of blackbody-pumped lasers semi-annual progress report, January 1, 1988 - June 30, 1988 (SuDoc NAS 1.26:183214) by W. H. Christiansen

Overview and future direction for blackbody solar-pumped lasers (SuDoc NAS 1.15:100621) by R. J. De Young


Recent Blackbody related patents

From USPTO:
6713774: Structure and method for controlling the thermal emissivity of a radiating object
6711426: Spectroscopy illuminator with improved delivery efficiency for high optical density and reduced thermal load
6707491: Method of correcting white balance in video camera
6706348: Composite spoolable tube with sensor
6700322: Light source with organic layer and photoluminescent layer
6699559: Honeycomb transparent insulation with improved insulating ability
6697557: Two-dimensional optical filter and associated methods
6695936: Methods and apparatus for using large inertial body forces to identify, process and manufacture multicomponent bulk metallic glass forming alloys, and components fabricated therefrom
6694800: Gas analyzer using thermal detectors
6693924: Optical fiber laser structure and system based on ASE pumping of cladding element
6690696: Laser cooling apparatus and method
6687058: Numerical aperature increasing lens (nail) techniques for high-resolution sub-surface imaging
6686691: Tri-color, white light LED lamps
6685852: Phosphor blends for generating white light from near-UV/blue light-emitting devices
6684037: Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with fixing apparatus
6682216: Single-fiber multi-color pyrometry
6680569: Red-deficiency compensating phosphor light emitting device
6677588: Detector assembly having reduced stray light ghosting sensitivity
6670596: Radiometry calibration system and method for electro-optical sensors
6667801: Method and apparatus for safety testing optical systems for hazardous locations
6665007: Video camera system
6664553: Trap blackbody
6657607: Liquid crystal flat panel display with enhanced backlight brightness and specially selected light sources
6656690: Mass spectrometric methods for biomolecular screening
6656127: Breath test apparatus and methods
6653547: Solar energy converter
6653067: Methods for identifying ligand binding sites in a biomolecule
6647350: Radiometric temperature measurement system
6642957: Color signal processing circuit, method of the same and a camera apparatus
6642537: Dual band QWIP focal plane array
6641299: Fixed-point cell, thermometer calibration method and fixed-point temperature realizing apparatus
6641261: Lens for vision enhancement
6640199: System and method for optically determining properties of hot fluids from the spectral structure of emitted radiation
6636753: Solid-state non-invasive infrared absorption spectrometer for the generation and capture of thermal gradient spectra form living tissue
6636752: Measurement, data acquistion, and signal processing for a photonic molecular probe
6631761: Wet electric heating process
6630674: Method and apparatus for correction of microbolometer output
6624555: Directly heated thermionic flat emitter
6620329: Golf course irrigation water monitoring and treatment system
6613427: Method for applying high emissivity coating
6611370: Raman amplifier system, apparatus and method for identifying, obtaining and maintaining an arbitrary Raman amplification performance
6611329: Optical path switching based differential absorption radiometry for substance detection
6611249: System and method for providing a wide aspect ratio flat panel display monitor independent white-balance adjustment and gamma correction capabilities
6611085: Photonically engineered incandescent emitter
6610984: Method and apparatus for correction of microbolometer output
6605888: Metal halide lamp with enhanced red emission, in excess of a blackbody
6605080: Method and apparatus for the selective targeting of lipid-rich tissues
6597116: Metal halide lamp
6596457: Positive photosensitive lithographic printing plate responsive to near infrared rays; method of producing it and method for forming a positive image

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