What Is Non-thermal Radiation?

[skeptic2]

2007 Article in Science Daily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070620115358.htm

What is non-thermal radiation and how would it be detected? Does anyone have more information about this study and does it have any merit?

 

[JeffKoch]

I don't understand the point, and would withhold any judgements before reading and understanding the paper, though a quick search suggests it was a flash-in-pan article that generated press because of it's sexy title - most web references I found all come from about the same timeframe, four years ago. But generally, non-thermal radiation is radiation generated by non-thermal processes, i.e. by something that is not simply hot and emitting radiation characteristic of it's temperature. One example would be synchrotron radiation.

 

[tvscientist]

This is mostly just semantics. We describe thermal radiation as a specific range of electromagnetic radiation that is experienced, in the presence of matter, as heat. However, all electromagnetic radiation carries energy proportionate to its frequency. For instance, microwave electromagnetic energy is very good at heating up TV dinners.

The most energetic electromagnetic energy seems to be Gamma Rays. You really really do not want to observe very many of these up close and personal. ALL electromagnetic energy is simply photons with specific frequencies. The various frequencies interact with matter in wildly different ways.

The electromagnetic spectrum, however, is vast.

 

[tvscientist]

Rays versus Rays. Science had not done a good job of differentiating electromagnetic "rays" from other types of rays. Most importantly, Cosmic Rays ARE NOT electromagnetic rays. They are "energetic charged subatomic particles". X-rays are, however, electromagnetic rays that have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers.

Cosmic rays are very very bad things. Probably worse then even gamma electromagnetic radiation. A single cosmic ray [for instance a single proton] carries as much energy as a baseball thrown at 100 miles per hour. Happily these tend to crash into atmospheric particles that then cascade in a variety of forms.

I invite you to ponder how much velocity a single proton would need to equal a baseball at 100 miles per hour. E=mc2 suddenly become comprehensible.

 

[pmacias]

Non-thermal radiation refers to electromagnetic radiation that is not produced by thermal processes, such as heating or cooling. This type of radiation can come from a variety of sources, including nuclear reactions, cosmic rays, and electrical discharges.

One way to detect non-thermal radiation is through the use of specialized instruments, such as a Geiger counter or a scintillation detector. These instruments are able to detect and measure the energy and intensity of different types of radiation.

The 2007 study mentioned in the article from Science Daily focuses on the detection of non-thermal radiation from the sun. The researchers used a specialized telescope called the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) to capture images of the sun's atmosphere and identify areas where non-thermal radiation was present. This study is significant because it helps us better understand the processes that occur in the sun's atmosphere and how they contribute to the overall solar activity.

As with any scientific study, it is important to evaluate the methods and results carefully to determine its merit. In this case, the study has been published in a reputable scientific journal and has been cited by other researchers, indicating that it has been deemed credible by the scientific community. However, further research and replication of the study's findings may be necessary to fully validate its conclusions.