Planck's Law/ number of photons

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on applying Planck's Law to calculate the number of photons emitted by a blackbody at a temperature of 500 K, specifically within the wavelength range of 400 nm to 450 nm. The equation n = (P*λ)/hc is utilized to determine the number of photons at specific wavelengths, but participants seek a method to compute the total number of photons emitted over a range. The solution involves deriving the function N(λ,T) by dividing the intensity I(λ,T) by the energy of a single photon and integrating over the specified wavelength range to find the area under the curve.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Planck's Law and its application in blackbody radiation
  • Familiarity with the concepts of photon energy and wavelength
  • Basic knowledge of integration techniques in calculus
  • Proficiency in using mathematical software for plotting functions
NEXT STEPS
  • Learn how to derive the function N(λ,T) from Planck's Law
  • Study numerical integration techniques to compute areas under curves
  • Explore the use of software tools like Python with libraries such as NumPy and Matplotlib for plotting
  • Investigate the implications of temperature changes on blackbody radiation and photon emission
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics, researchers in thermodynamics, and anyone interested in the quantitative analysis of blackbody radiation and photon emission.

CINA
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Homework Statement



Produce plots of I(λ, T) vs. λ for a blackbody at temperature T = 500 K. Compute the number of photons emitted with 400nm < λ < 450 nm for each temperature, assuming the total surface area is 1.0000 m2, to 5 significant figures.

Homework Equations



Planck's Law
A\int_{\lambda_2}^{\lambda_1}I&#039;(\lambda,T)\,d\lambda
maybe more

The Attempt at a Solution



I'm having trouble understanding how we are supposed find the number of photons. So far we used n = (P*λ)/hc to find the number of photons at a spefic wavelength. But this requires a specific wavelength. Are we supposed to find the power at 400 nm wavelength, put it into that equation and find n, then move onto the 451, and repeat? Or is there an equation that will compute n number of photons emitted over a wavelength range in one fell swoop?
 
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Divide I(λ,T) by the energy of one photon: you get the function N(λ,T), the number of photons emitted. Plot N(λ,T) and find the area between the given wavelengths.

ehild
 

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