Recent content by Steleo

Thanks for the answer Maverick. I understand what your saying, and that's what I'm after. I've never actually come across the mathematical description in undergrad solid state/quantum mechanics books. I don't know if it's because I'm looking in the wrong places or that there is no nice analytic...

Good Day, I was wondering whether anyone has a reference or can point me in the right direction for a mathematical derivation of how the photons in blackbody radiation (for solids) are generated from thermal motion. Regards Max

Thanks DrDru I appreciate your response. I guess part of my question is why are those other harmonics important as the particle size increases. Is there more 'room' for the higher order moments to develop within the sphere? I was really just after some sort of "physical intuition" as to...

Andy, I guess I'm more interested in the difference in the gross features between the Rayleigh and Mie "scattering patterns", especially in the regime of atmospheric scattering. I guess what it boils down to is why should increasing particle size as in Mie scattering give the increase in...

Good Day, Understanding that Rayleigh scattering is a limiting case of Mie scattering why physically do we see such a change in phase function (i.e. what's happening in between)? I am thinking that we are seeing more destructive interference in the side/back directions and more constructive...

I have always used a Casio CFX 9850 GB Plus. It is a far better calculator with a very large range of functions. I find the TI to be a bit basic for the real scientist/engineer.

Sorry pmb_phy I might be completely confused (given the high standard of the other work on the site it's likely). Alpha decay is a very distinct process from nuclear fission. The alpha particle is formed inside the nucleus and quantum tunnels through the coulomb barrier. There IS a spontaneous...

To be honest the more I read it the more confused I am? The equation isn't even balanced? There is an alpha decay to to Th-234 but this isn't spontanenous fission? U-238 -> Th-234 + alpha would be the balanced equation...

Equation 1. as written is junk.

Hello all In radio astronomy the orientation angle of an ellipse is usually quoted as tan(2 *Psi) = S2/S1 Where S2 and S1 are the stokes parameters. Does anyone know or can point me to a reference as to why the 2 * psi should be in there? The angle of the axis in the ellipse should be...

Hi thanks for the replies, Sorry for being a bit unclear in the original question, basically I want to do something similar to http://webphysics.davidson.edu/alumni/jimn/Final/Pages/FinalMolecular.htm Where they plot the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for the rotational levels, however I want...

Hi All Im just wondering if there is an easy way to determine the density of states for a molecule such as CO2. I am interested in transitions at IR wavelengths so I'm wondering if there is an 'easy' way to get at the vibrational modes only to chuck into something like the Maxwell-Boltzmann...

when it is hotter the electrons are in higher energy levels. at these different (higher) energy levels different atomic transitions can occur. this gives the different spectral lines.