Deriving Stefan's fourth-power law

In summary, by substituting x = hc/λkBT and using a change of variable, the total intensity radiated from a blackbody can be expressed as I(T) = σT^4, where σ is a constant independent of temperature. This result is known as Stefan's fourth-power law, named after Austrian physicist Josef Stefan.
  • #1
efekwulsemmay
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Homework Statement



The total intensity I(T) radiated from a blackbody (at all wavelengths λ) is equal to the integral over all wavelengths, 0 < λ < ∞, of the Planck distribution (4.28). (a) By changing variables to x = hc/λkBT, show that ¡(T) has the form I(T) = σT4 where a is a constant independent of temperature. This result is called Ste fan’s fourth-power law, after the Austrian physicist Josef Stefan.

Homework Equations



I(λ,T) = (2πhc^2)/(λ^5)*(1/(e^(hc/λkBT))-1)

The Attempt at a Solution



I understand that I need to substitute x into the equation and the easy part that I get:

1/(e^x)-1

out of the second part. However the first part seems to be just inflating the equation by substitution to which it will merely increase continually.
I did end up substituting:

hc=xλkBT

into the numerator to get:

=2π(kBTx)c/λ^5

just not sure where to go from here.
 
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  • #2
You have I(λ,T) = A/[λ5(eb/λ- 1)] where A and b are constants which you can identify. b carries the temperature dependence.

As you noted, the total intensity is an integral over λ of this expression. Then follow your idea of a change of variable of integration to x = b/λ. When the smoke clears, you should get a bunch of constants times an integral over x. Don't worry about doing the integral, it will just be some dimensionless number independent of T. All of the T dependence will come from the factors of b in the mess of constants in front of the integral.
 

Related to Deriving Stefan's fourth-power law

What is Stefan's fourth-power law?

Stefan's fourth-power law, also known as the Stefan-Boltzmann law, is a physical law that describes the relationship between the temperature and radiation emitted by a blackbody.

Who derived Stefan's fourth-power law?

The law was derived by Austrian physicist Josef Stefan in 1879, and later refined by physicist Ludwig Boltzmann in 1884.

What is the mathematical equation for Stefan's fourth-power law?

The equation is E = σT^4, where E is the total energy radiated per unit surface area, σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, and T is the absolute temperature of the blackbody.

What is the significance of Stefan's fourth-power law?

Stefan's fourth-power law is important because it provides a fundamental understanding of how objects emit and absorb radiation, and has applications in fields such as astrophysics, thermodynamics, and climate science.

How was Stefan's fourth-power law derived?

Stefan and Boltzmann derived the law by using theoretical and experimental methods, such as the study of blackbody radiation and thermodynamics principles, to develop a mathematical relationship between temperature and radiation emitted.

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