- #1
Froglet
- 11
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I recently read an article online stating that electromagnetic radiation is 'a form of energy emitted and absorbed by charged particles'.
This isn't always correct, is it? I mean, I know that charged particles that are accelerating can emit bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation, but my own body will emit thermal infra-red, and I'm not made up of charged particles. Also, as I understand it, an atom can emit or absorb e-m radiation simply by electron transitions between energy levels; the atom is still neutral (although it could be in an excited state.)
Am I correct, or hopelessly confused?
Thanks,
Paul.
This isn't always correct, is it? I mean, I know that charged particles that are accelerating can emit bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation, but my own body will emit thermal infra-red, and I'm not made up of charged particles. Also, as I understand it, an atom can emit or absorb e-m radiation simply by electron transitions between energy levels; the atom is still neutral (although it could be in an excited state.)
Am I correct, or hopelessly confused?
Thanks,
Paul.