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moonkey
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Homework Statement
(1) A Physics lecturer, on a dark night, shines his laser pointer towards the star Vega.
(a) Roughly, how many optical photons from the Sun per second enter the eye of an
astronomer standing on a planet orbiting Vega ? Assume that 50 % of the light
from the Sun is generated in the optical passband and that our extra-terrestrial
astronomer has the same pupil diameter as that of a human.
(b) Roughly, how many photons are generated per second by the laser pointer ? The
pointer works in the wavelength range 620-680 nm, at a power of 5 mW, with an
aperture of 1 mm.
(c) If the light of the laser pointer is perfectly parallel, how many of these photons per
second will enter the eye of our extra-terrestrial astronomer ? Will he see them ?
(Assume that the extra-terrestrial astronomer can just see the Sun without a
telescope, and that the laser points directly at him).
Distance to Vega = 8.1 pc
Speed of light (c) = 3×108 m s−1
Planck constant (h) = 6.63 × 10−34 J s
Solar mass (M⊙) = 2 × 1030 kg
Solar Luminosity = 3.85 × 1026 W
1 pc = 3.086 × 1016 m
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I have solved part (a) and (b). It's part (c) I'm having aproblem with.
Can I take it that the Luminosity of the laser is 5mW?
The light of the laser pointer is perfectly parallel so would the Luminosity to the observer be 5mW*πr2/8.1pc, where πr2 is the area of the observer's eye. Like I said I solved part (b) so I know the number of photons per second. (I know I need to convert to meters first)?