SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF RADIATION

MAE 650:432/435 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Laboratory

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey
Safety and Equipment Care

Caution: Keep hands away from the blackbody exit and light bulbs. Surfaces may be hot.
Caution: Keep hands away from the wires behind lights. Voltage may shock you.
The optical monochromator is a delicate instrument. Handle with care.
At no time should the monochromator be positioned closer than 6 inches from the blackbody
opening.

Introduction
This laboratory will examine:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The spectral distribution of thermal radiation

The estimation of temperature using source color
The temperature determination of an incandescent source using emission spectroscopy
The qualitative difference between thermal and non-thermal emission sources

Equipment Overview
Figure 1 shows the major equipment used in this laboratory. The Omega blackbody is a practically
isothermal heated cavity with an opening. The temperature of the cavity is carefully regulated
using a digital controller and monitored with a readout. Radiant emission from the cavity opening
closely approximates 'blackbody emission,' that is the emission from a surface with emissivity
equal to one. Such an instrument is primarily used to calibrate other instruments, which measure
radiant intensity.
The Optometrics monochromator is a device, which accepts radiation at any frequency but only
transmits the fraction within a prescribed wavelength band. For the present monochromator this
band is roughly 24 nm wide and is centered at a wavelength c, whose value is adjusted by using
a micrometer screw on the monochromator panel. The reading on the micrometer is one half of c.
Thus a reading of 400 implies that the center wavelength of the transmitted band is 800 nm and
that the band is between 788 nm to 812 nm. One complete rotation of the micrometer screw
corresponds to 50 units or 100 nm. Radiation transmitted by the monochromator strikes a
Germanium detector located at the monochromator outlet. The detector converts the light intensity
to a voltage which is registered by a digital voltmeter. The detector voltage output is a function of
the spectral radiant power incident on the detector.
Both the monochromator and the detector system have responses which vary with wavelength. For
example, at 800 nm the system might convert 1 watt of light energy into 10 mV, whereas at 1500
nm, the conversion might be 1 watt to 15 mV. It is therefore necessary to calibrate the system to
determine its efficiency at different wavelengths.

Overview of the Experiment

Emission spectra from the blackbody at two temperatures will be used to calibrate the
monochromator/detector system. The results will then be used to estimate the temperature of an
incandescent source. The color temperature method will also be used to estimate source
temperature. Application of the method to non-thermal neon light source will also be attempted.

Experimental Procedure
1. Turn on the power strip which supplies power to the instruments.
2. Set the blackbody temperature to 1600 F using the arrowed buttons on the front panel of the
blackbody. The blackbody cavity temperature is displayed on the top of the display in larger
red numerals. Both readouts are in Fahrenheit. It takes 20-25 minutes for the blackbody to
reach steady temperature.
3. On the DVM registering the detector voltage output, press the button marked 'V DC' to get a
voltage readout. Press the '200 button (DIGIT 3)' to set the appropriate scale on the DVM for
the measurements. The voltage readout is a function of the radiant power incident on the
detector. Make sure that the switch on the monochromator detector is set to 'S' for a slow
readout response.
4. Once the blackbody temperature has reached the set point, set the monochromator reading to
775. The arrow on the top of the monochromator should point towards the opening of the
blackbody. Position the monochromator roughly 10 inches away from the cavity opening. AT
NO TIME SHOULD THE MONOCHROMATOR BE POSITIONED CLOSER THAN
6 INCHES FROM THE CAVITY OPENING.
5. Adjust the orientation of the monochromator by translating it sidewise and rotating it clockwise
or counterclockwise until the voltage reading is maximized. Then translate the monochromator
slowly forward or backwards until the voltage reading is approximately 7-8 volts. The
monochromator should stay in this position for steps 6 through 9. If it is accidentally moved it
will be necessary to start the experiment from the beginning (current step 5).
6. Set the dial on the monochromator to 550 (1100 nm). Record the reading from the DVM. There
will be some fluctuation, so try to record the average value, and note the level of fluctuation
which contributes to the reading uncertainty. Now, block the light path to the monochromator
by placing the metal beam stop approximately 0.5 from the blackbody opening, and record
the DVM reading again. This is the background radiation reading.
7. Repeat step 6 for settings of 575 through 850 at increments of 25. For each wavelength take
one signal reading and one background reading. This will yield a spectrum covering 1100 nm
to 1700 nm in 50 nm increments.
8. Look inside the blackbody cavity. Using the attached color chart, determine which range of
color descriptions best characterizes the emission that you observe and record this in your
2

notes. For example, you might note that the emission appears to be between Red-Orange and
Lemon Yellow. Note: Do not let your observation be influenced by the temperature ranges
which accompany the color tables. Part of this laboratory exercise is to evaluate the accuracy
of color temperature charts.
9. Reset the blackbody to 1300F, and repeat steps 6 through 8 without moving the
monochromator.
10. Turn off the blackbody, and turn on the incandescent light (Figure 1) by pressing the red button
under the brightness knob. Adjust the intensity until it is brightest by turning the brightness
knob all the way counter-clockwise.
11. Position the monochromator roughly 1.0 inch from the incandescent light source, set the
monochromator reading to 775 and repeat the alignment procedure in step 5.
12. Record the emission spectrum with the same procedure as used in steps 6 and 7 using the black
card to block the light for the background measurement.
13. Without moving the monochromator, reduce the brightness of the incandescent bulb to its
minimum by turning the brightness knob fully clockwise.
14. Record the emission spectrum of the lamp by repeating steps 6 and 7.
15. Turn off the incandescent lamp and turn on the neon lamp. The present detector is not sensitive
enough to capture the emission spectrum of this lamp, so only a visual observation will be
carried out. The spectrum of this neon lamp in the 900-1500 nm range is also attached. Using
the color charts decide which color description best suits the neon lamp, and record this in your
notes with an estimate of an upper and lower bound on the temperature of the neon lamp. Turn
off the neon lamp.
16. Turn off the DVM, but do not turn off the power strip. The cooling fan on the blackbody needs
to run until the system reaches ambient temperature.
Data Processing and Calculations
The spectral radiant intensity leaving the source opening is given by Plancks law of
monochromatic blackbody radiation [1]:

I b ( , T )

2hco 2

hc
5 exp o
kT

(1)

where Ib is the spectral radiant intensity {W/[(m2 of projected area)(steradian)(m)]} leaving the
blackbody source, h is Plancks constant, k is Boltzmans constant, co is the speed of light, T is the
absolute temperature of the source, and is the wavelength. For a detector located normal to the
3

source, the radiant power incident on the source is I b Ab where the solid angle is
Ad
. The fraction of spectral incident radiant energy that is converted to voltage by
R2
the monochromator/detector combination depends on the wavelength considered and can be
written as I b Ab V where 1 is a function of the wavelength and V is the

given by

voltage output of the photodetector. The expression:

I b

V
Ab

(2)

relates the voltage to the blackbody source intensity for a particular geometry and wavelength.
Equation (2) can be written in non-dimensional form using the source intensity and the measured
voltage at temperature T and wavelength 1:

I b (T ) V1 1

I 1b (T ) V

(3)

where V1 is the voltage at a reference wavelength 1, and is the calibration factor for
wavelength . Note that is only a function of the wavelength.
Now consider a blackbody source of unknown temperature using Eqs. (2) and (3). Then if V is
the voltage measured at wavelength :
V 1 Ib Ab

(4)

where I b is the unknown blackbody intensity of the source. Using the experimental data it is
possible to estimate the derivative of the left hand side of Eq. (4) with respect to wavelength at
constant temperature by using data values at 100 nm increments. For each wavelength the results
can be set equal to the derivative of the right hand side of Eq. (4). Division by the mean value at
each wavelength increment results in:
V
1 I b

V I b

(5)

For each wavelength increment, the left side of Eq. (5) is computed from the data, while the right
side is only a function of temperature, which can then be found by solution of the equation.

Report
1. For each of the two blackbody source spectra (one at 1600F and the other at 1300F), create
data tables as shown at the end of this write-up. The first four columns on each table are the
data collected. The fifth column is the signal voltage minus the background voltage. The sixth
column is the calculated source intensity using Plancks law (Eq. 1). The seventh column is
the calibration factor from Eq. (3) computed using the results for 1550 nm as reference. The
1300F table has an eighth column for the average calibration factor computed using the
values from the 1300F and 1600F tables.
On the same graph plot the computed blackbody intensities at 1600F and 1300F.
On the same graph plot as a function of wavelength, the spectral calibration factors found for
the two temperatures used and also the average spectral calibration factor.

2. Differentiate the intensity Equation (1) with respect to wavelength at constant temperature and
1 I b
divide the result by the intensity, i.e. write the expression for
.
I b
3. For each of the two incandescent source spectra create data tables with the first five columns
as in (1). In the sixth column insert the fifth column multiplied by the average calibration factor
for each wavelength.
Using intervals of 100 nm, estimate the derivative of the left hand side of eq. (5) in the seventh
column. Divide each derivative by the average value of V for each wavelength range to
V
obtain an estimate of
.
V
1 I b
solve the right hand side of equation (5) for the temperature
I b
and insert the results in the eighth column of each of the incandescent lamp tables.

Using the expression for

On the same graph plot as a function of wavelength, the computed spectral intensities found
for the two temperatures of the incandescent source. Be sure to state explicitly the calculated
temperature of the incandescent source.

4. Assuming that the incandescent source emits as a blackbody, estimate the temperature at each
of the two source settings using Wien's displacement law. Show an example calculation and
describe the procedure. Estimate the uncertainty in temperature.
5. Glass melts at roughly 600C. Why doesn't the glass in a light bulb melt during operation?

6. Based on your visual observations of the blackbody cavity and the color-temperature tables,
comment on the use of visual color observation for temperature measurement. Discuss
limitations and estimate the accuracy of such a technique.
7. Based on your observations and the color temperature chart, estimate an upper and lower bound
on the temperature of the neon lamp. Calculate and plot the blackbody intensity versus
wavelength for both temperatures in the 500-700 nm range. Are these curves consistent with
the provided spectrum? Are techniques such as those utilized in questions 2 and 3 above valid
for calculating the temperature in the neon lamp? If not, can the spectrum still be used to infer
the temperature? Explain.
8. Think about the problem of aerodynamic heating. How does radiation and radiative heat
transfer play a role in how hot a surface gets during re-entry? Why is the bottom of the space
shuttle black in color, but the top of the space shuttle white? Why are many spacecraft
components wrapped in gold or silver foil instead of painted a certain color?
References
Incropera and DeWitt, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, Wiley, New York. Latest edition.

Data and Processing for 1600F Blackbody

Indicator

(m)

Signal
(V)

Background
(V)

Signal-Back.
(V)

I
(W/m2Ster.m)

Signal-Back.
(V)

I
(W/m2Ster.m)

550
575
600
625
650
675
700
725
750
775
800
825
850

Data and Processing for 1300F Blackbody

Indicator

(m)

Signal
(V)

Background
(V)

550
575
600
625
650
675
700
725
750
775
800
825
850

AVG

Data and Processing for the Bright Incandescent Source

Indicator

(m)

Signal
(V)

Background
(V)

Signal-Back.
(V)

V*

550
575
600
625
650
675
700
725
750
775
800
825
850

LHS Eq. 5

Temp. (K)

LHS Eq. 5

Temp. (K)

Data and Processing for the Dim Incandescent Source

Indicator

(m)

Signal
(V)

Background
(V)

Signal-Back.
(V)

550
575
600
625
650
675
700
725
750
775
800
825
850

10

V*