DEVELOPMENT OF SOLID STATE LAMPS AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS. LED LIGHTING, LARGE SCALE PV DESIGN AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION REDUCTION METHODS

Suppose, still further, that light of a particular frequency could not be emitted unless enough energy had been accumulated to make up an "energy atom" of the size required by that frequency. The higher the frequency the larger the "energy atom" and the smaller the probability of its accumulation at any given instant of time. Most of the energy would be lost as radiation of lower frequency, where the "energy atoms" were smaller and more easily accumulated. For that rea son, an object at a temperature of 400' C. would radiate its heat in the infrared entirely. So few "energy atoms" of visible light size would be accumulated that no visible glow would be produced. As temperature went up, more energy would be gen erally available and the probabilities of accumulating a high-frequency "energy atom" would increase. At 6000' C. most of the radiation would be in "energy atoms" of visible light, but the still larger "energy atoms" of ultraviolet would continue to be formed only to a minor extent. But how big is an "energy atom"? How much energy does it contain? Since this "how much" is a key question, Planck, with admirable directness, named the "energy atom" a quantum, which is Latin for "how much?" the plural is quanta ...»