infrapunasäteillä

Infrapunasäteily, often referred to as infrared radiation or IR radiation, is a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light and shorter than microwaves. Its wavelength range is typically considered to be between 700 nanometers and 1 millimeter.

This form of radiation is invisible to the human eye, but it can be felt as heat. All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit infrared radiation. The hotter an object is, the more infrared radiation it emits. This principle is fundamental to many technologies, including thermal imaging cameras that detect heat signatures.

Infrared radiation plays a significant role in nature. The sun is a major source of infrared radiation, contributing to the Earth's warmth. Plants use infrared radiation in photosynthesis, though it's not the primary wavelength for this process.

Applications of infrared radiation are widespread. In everyday life, remote controls for televisions and other electronics utilize infrared LEDs to transmit signals. In industry, infrared heating is used for drying, curing, and melting materials. Medical applications include therapeutic infrared lamps for pain relief and diagnostic thermal imaging. In astronomy, infrared telescopes are used to observe celestial objects that are obscured by dust or are too cool to emit visible light. The study of infrared radiation is a branch of physics and optics.