Light at Absolute Zero: Answers to Your Questions

[ravisastry]

Hi, I'd like to know how does electromagnetic radiation behave at absolute zero temparature ? pls let me know. Thanks in advance !

 

[LostConjugate]

When people talk about the temperature of radiation they mean the temperature of the object that emitted the radiation. There is no meaning to radiation itself having a temp that I know of. Maxwell's equations do not involve temperature

 

[AJ Bentley]

Only objects have temperature - and it's nothing more than a measure of how much vibration energy they have. That's what heat is - just vibration.

If you had a universe full of objects at absolute zero (I think that's what you are describing) all of those objects would be sitting still, unmoving.

If you then shine a light into the universe (You'd have to do it from outside because none of these cold objects have any energy to emit light themselves), the energy of the light would be absorbed by any object it hit, warming it up slightly.

The light (or any other sort of EM radiation) would slowly be converted to a little bit of heat.

 

[my_wan]

Even so, per what AJ said, if you merely shined a light through a region this cold, it would pass through unaffected. What didn't get converted to heat anyway.

 

[sardar]

Hello,

Thank you for your question. At absolute zero temperature, all molecular motion stops and atoms are in their lowest possible energy state. This means that there is no thermal energy available for the atoms and molecules to emit or absorb electromagnetic radiation. As a result, there is no radiation at absolute zero temperature.

However, it is important to note that absolute zero temperature is a theoretical concept and cannot be reached in reality. At very low temperatures, such as near absolute zero, atoms and molecules may still have some residual thermal energy and can emit and absorb electromagnetic radiation. This is known as blackbody radiation.

In summary, at absolute zero temperature, there is no thermal energy available for the emission or absorption of electromagnetic radiation. However, at very low temperatures, some residual thermal energy may still allow for the presence of electromagnetic radiation.

I hope this helps answer your question. Please let me know if you have any further inquiries.

Best regards,