Instantaneous Unit Conversion between CGS and SI units

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on converting instantaneous radiated power from CGS units "erg/(sec rad cm)" to SI units of watts. Participants clarify that the CGS unit appears to represent intensity rather than power, suggesting a potential misunderstanding. The conversion is confirmed to relate to synchrotron radiation from a particle beam, referencing the relativistic form of the Larmor formula. A participant successfully found an equivalent equation in SI units, resolving the confusion regarding the appropriate units to use.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of CGS and SI unit systems
  • Familiarity with concepts of radiated power and intensity
  • Knowledge of synchrotron radiation and its applications
  • Basic grasp of the Larmor formula in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the conversion formulas between CGS and SI units for power and intensity
  • Study the principles of synchrotron radiation and its significance in particle physics
  • Explore the relativistic Larmor formula and its applications in electromagnetic radiation
  • Investigate the differences between radian and steradian in the context of intensity measurements
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, engineers, and researchers involved in particle physics, particularly those working with synchrotron radiation and unit conversions in scientific calculations.

KJ4EPE
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In doing some research, I cam across an equation for instantaneous radiated power, with the CGS units "erg/(sec rad cm)", rad being radians (not rad the unit for radiation exposure). Try as I might, I'm not able to come up with a way to convert it to the SI units for watts. Does anyone know where I might find the information about this?
 
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Hi KJ4EPE! :smile:

Are you sure this is power? erg/(sec rad cm) looks more like some form of intensity …

there's a useful table of intensities and radiances at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensity_(physics)"

but I can't see anything there equivalent to erg/(sec rad cm) :confused:

(and I'd expect steradian instead of radian … erg/(sec rad cm) looks to me cylindrical rather than spherical … is this for a "cylindrical" transmitter?)
 
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Actually it is! It's for determining the power of synchrotron radiation emitted from a particle beam, essentially the relativistic form of the Larmor formula. But anyway, someone at work was able to point me in the direction of a different equation in SI units, and the results seem to be reasonable. I was confused cause one of the books I was using this morning used the same equation for both SI and CGS units, and I had a hard time figuring out what to use.
 

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