Astrophysics (Index)About

specific intensity

(spectral intensity, spectral radiance)
(intensity per unit wavelength or frequency)

Specific intensity (or spectral intensity) is intensity (per astrophysics) per unit wavelength or frequency, i.e., a measure of the amount (energy) of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) striking a surface from a given direction, at a given wavelength or frequency. Like intensity, it has the quality that it does not fall off with distance, a means of characterizing EMR along a line. It is the value of a distribution function and the only possible measurement (e.g., from a galaxy) is that of its average over a finite wavelength-range and finite region of an extended source. The term spectral radiance means the same thing: usage of the terms varies in astronomy, to a large extent according to the type of EMR (e.g., radio vs. visible light).

Note that specific intensity values per wavelength versus per frequency are different values. The area of astrophysics likely has a convention regarding which it generally uses, but when both values are used, one must carry out a conversion in order to compare them; for example, the numerical value at a particular wavelength "per unit wavelength" is not the same as the numerical value at that same wavelength "per unit frequency". See Wien's displacement law for more detail.


(measure,EMR,physics)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_radiative_intensity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_intensity
http://casper.berkeley.edu/astrobaki/index.php/Specific_Intensity

Referenced by pages:
brightness temperature (TB)
flux density
gray body
intensity
jansky (Jy)
monochromatic luminosity
Planck function
radiance
radiative transfer (RT)
Rayleigh-Jeans law
Rosseland mean opacity
thermal bremsstrahlung
Wien approximation
Wien's displacement law
Zanstra method

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