Phenomenon · phenomenon:thermal-emission
Thermal emission
Every body above absolute zero emits electromagnetic radiation with a spectrum set by its temperature and emissivity. A hot emitter can feed a photovoltaic cell; a warm surface can radiate to the cold sky.
Atlas record: 7 claims reference this phenomenon — 6 established and 1 demonstrated.
Explorerelations · matrix context · routes · sources · cite
7claims31enumerated routes3routes with complete-composition evidence6candidate routes not searched4cited sources
Relations
drives · 2
- a flame or a heated emitter radiating
- an emitter hotter than the surface it faces
produces · 1
converts into · 1
- incandescence at > 2000 K
member of · 1
implemented by · 1
Thermal emission—implemented by→Combustion-driven micro-thermophotovoltaic generator (μTPV)demonstrated
bounded by · 1
- visible light delivered by a thermal emitter at temperature T; the bound is the Planck band fraction at that T
Matrix context
D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.
Enumerated routes through this · 31 (showing 24)
- Incandescent lamp2/2 est · demonstrated
- Thermophotovoltaic conversion5/5 est · demonstrated
- Combustion-driven micro-thermophotovoltaic generator7/7 est · demonstrated
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Hot gas → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · same energy form
- Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · same energy form
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Hot gas → Thermal emission → Light4/4 est · candidate
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light2/4 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photothermal absorption → Heat flow → Useful heat5/5 est · same energy form
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Radioactive decay → Beta particles → Radioisotope heating → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light6/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Radioactive decay → Alpha particles → Radioisotope heating → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Light6/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Hot gas → Thermal emission → Photons → Photothermal absorption → Heat flow → Useful heat7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photovoltaic effect → Electron–hole pairs → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photothermal absorption → Heat flow → Useful heat7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photovoltaic effect → Electron–hole pairs → Electrical work7/7 est · same energy form
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photothermal absorption → Heat flow → Useful heat7/7 est · candidate
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photovoltaic effect → Electron–hole pairs → Electrical work7/7 est · same energy form
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photothermal absorption → Heat flow → Useful heat7/7 est · candidate
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photovoltaic effect → Electron–hole pairs → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Thermal emission → Photons → Photovoltaic effect → Electron–hole pairs → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
Cited sources · 4
- [1]W. R. Chan et al.. Toward high-energy-density, high-efficiency, and moderate-temperature chip-scale thermophotovoltaics (2013)
- [2]P. T. Landsberg, G. Tonge. Thermodynamic energy conversion efficiencies (1980)
- [3]A. Bejan. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics (4th ed.) (2016)
- [4]A. LaPotin, et al.. Thermophotovoltaic efficiency of 40% (2022)
Cite this entity
Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity phenomenon:thermal-emission: Thermal emission. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/phenomenon/thermal-emission
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