Radiation, thermodynamics

The behavior of the atmosphere can be analyzed and understood in terms of basic laws and concepts of physics. The three fields of physics that are most applicable to the atmosphere are radiation, thermodynamics, and hydrodynamics. Owing to limitations of space, only a few topics in coastal meteorology are covered here. More information is available through the bibliography. 

Mungan, C.E., 2005. Radiation thermodynamics with applications to lasing and fluorescent cooling. Am. J. Phys. 73 (4), 315-322. 

Planck Max Carl Ernst Ludwig (1858-1947) Ger. phys., best know for Planck s constant representing quantum action, blackbody radiation, thermodynamics, physics before his quantum theory is often called classical... 

When the partial pressures of the radicals become high, their homogeneous recombination reactions become fast, the heat evolution exceeds heat losses, and the temperature rise accelerates the consumption of any remaining fuel to produce more radicals. Around the maximum temperature, recombination reactions exhaust the radical supply and the heat evolution rate may not compensate for radiation losses. Thus the final approach to thermodynamic equiUbrium by recombination of OH, H, and O, at concentrations still many times the equiUbrium value, is often observed to occur over many milliseconds after the maximum temperature is attained, especially in the products of combustion at relatively low (<2000 K) temperatures. 

Gamma hexachlorocyclohexane, radiation resistance, 196 Gamma-rays, 188, 193, 194, 197, 202 Gamma-space, 320 Gas hydrates, 3, 20, 22, 25, 34 mechanism of formation, 4 thermodynamic properties, 15 x-ray work, 3... 

In the following pages I have endeavoured to deduce the principles of Thermodynamics in the simplest possible manner from the two fundamental laws, and to illustrate their applicability by means of a selection of examples. In making the latter, I have had in view more especially the requirements of students of Physical Chemistry, t6 whom the work is addressed. For this reason chemical problems receive the main consideration, and other branches are either treated briefly, or (as in the case of the technical application to steam and internal combustion engines, the theories of radiation, elasticity, etc.) are not included at all. 

The most common states of a pure substance are solid, liquid, or gas (vapor), state property See state function. state symbol A symbol (abbreviation) denoting the state of a species. Examples s (solid) I (liquid) g (gas) aq (aqueous solution), statistical entropy The entropy calculated from statistical thermodynamics S = k In W. statistical thermodynamics The interpretation of the laws of thermodynamics in terms of the behavior of large numbers of atoms and molecules, steady-state approximation The assumption that the net rate of formation of reaction intermediates is 0. Stefan-Boltzmann law The total intensity of radiation emitted by a heated black body is proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature, stereoisomers Isomers in which atoms have the same partners arranged differently in space, stereoregular polymer A polymer in which each unit or pair of repeating units has the same relative orientation, steric factor (P) An empirical factor that takes into account the steric requirement of a reaction, steric requirement A constraint on an elementary reaction in which the successful collision of two molecules depends on their relative orientation. 

Mass spectrometric studies yield principally three types of information useful to the radiation chemist the major primary ions one should be concerned with, their reactions with neutral molecules, and thermodynamic information which allows one to eliminate certain reactions on the basis of endothermicity. In addition, attempts at theoretical interpretations of mass spectral fragmentation patterns permit estimates of unimolecular dissociation constants for excited parent ions. 

Wien s Displacement Law is proved by thermodynamic considerations and by experiment in contradistinction to Wien s Radiation Formula, which is only proved experimentally for small values of X. 

The plot of CE = Pout/Ps (from Eqs (5.10.33) and (5.10.37)) versus Ag for AM 1.2 is shown in Fig. 5.65 (curve 1). It has a maximum of 47 per cent at 1100 nm. Thermodynamic considerations, however, show that there are additional energy losses following from the fact that the system is in a thermal equilibrium with the surroundings and also with the radiation of a black body at the same temperature. This causes partial re-emission of the absorbed radiation (principle of detailed balance). If we take into account the equilibrium conditions and also the unavoidable entropy production, the maximum CE drops to 33 per cent at 840 nm (curve 2, Fig. 5.65). 

Max Planck (1858-1947 Nobel Prize for physics 1918) at first did not have the atom in his sights. He was more interested in thermodynamics, and especially in the laws of radiation. In 1900 he surprised the Physical Society of Berlin — and later the whole world — with an experimentally based realization that changed the world view. In contrast to time and space, energy is guantized. Thus it does not form a continuum, but is essentially "grainy". The smallest unit is the Planck constant, a fundamental natural constant. 

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