PHYSICS ART INTEGRATION ACTIVITY

MICROWAVES
 CONTENTS
OTHER
INTRODUCTION PRODUCTION APPLUCATIONS

1 3 5

2 4 6

ABOUT APPLICATIONS CONCLUSION

MICROWAVES IN OTHER
FIELDS

2
 INTRODUCTION
▹Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation
with wavelengths ranging from 1mm to 1m
▹Microwaves were first generated in the 1890s in
some of the earliest radio experiments by physicists
who thought of them as a form of “invisible light”.
▹The prefix “micro” in microwaves is not meant to
suggest a wavelength in micrometer range.
▹Rather it indicates that they have short wavelengths
compared to radio waves used prior to microwave
technology

3
 ABOUT MICROWAVES
▹ Electromagnetic radiation is transmitted in waves or
particles at different wavelengths and frequencies. This
broad range of wavelengths is known as the 
electromagnetic spectrum EM spectrum).
▹ The spectrum is generally divided into seven regions in
order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy
and frequency.
▹ The common designations are radio waves, microwaves,
infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and
gamma-rays. Microwaves fall in the range of the EM
spectrum between radio and infrared light.

4
 ABOUT MICROWAVES

▹ Microwaves have frequencies ranging from

about 1 billion cycles per second, or 1
gigahertz (GHz), up to about 300 gigahertz and
wavelengths of about 30 centimeters (12
inches) to 1 millimeter (0.04 inches), according
to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
▹ This region is further divided into a number of
bands, with designations such as L, S, C, X and
K, according to Ginger Butcher's book "Tour of
the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

5
 PRODUCTION OF MICROWAVES
▹ Microwaves are produced by vacuum tubes devices that
operate on the ballistic motion of electron controlled by
magnetic or electric fields. 
▹ They work in the density modulated mode, instead of current
modulated mode, meaning that they work on the basis of
clumps of electrons flying ballistically  through them, instead
of using a constant flow of electrons.
▹ Lower power microwaves can me produced by some solid
state devices such as the FET (field effect transistor), the
tunnel diode, the gunn diode, and the IMPATT diode

6
 APPLICATIONS OF
MICROWAVES

7
 APPLICATIONS OF MICROWAVES IN THE FIELD OF
COMMUNICATIONS

▹ Before the advent of fiber optic transmission, most long-distance telephone calls were well
carried via microwave point-to-point links through sites like the AT&T Long Lines. Starting in
the early 1950’s frequency was used to send up to 5,400 telephone channels on each
microwave radio channel combined into one antenna or the hop to the next site, up to 70 km
away.
▹ Wireless LAN protocols, such as Bluetooth and the IEEE 802.11 specifications, also use the
microwave in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, although 8.2.11a uses the ISM band and U-NII
frequencies in the 5 GHz range. Licensed long-range (up to about 25 km). Wireless Internet
Access services can be found in many countries in the 3.5 – 4.0 GHz range.
 APPLICATIONS OF MICROWAVES IN THE FIELD OF
COMMUNICATIONS

▹ Metropolitan Area Networks: MAN protocols, such as WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability

for Microwave Access) based on the IEEE 8.2.16 specification. The IEEE 8.2.16 specification
was designed to operate between 2 to 11 GHz. The commercial implementations are in the
2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz, and 5.8GHz ranges.
▹ Cable TV and Internet access on coaxial cable as well as broadcast television use some of the
lower microwave frequencies. Some mobile phone networks, like GSM, also use lower
microwave frequencies.
▹ Microwave radio is used in broadcasting and telecommunication transmissions because, due
to their short wavelength, highly directive antennas are smaller and therefore more practical
than they would be at longer wavelengths (lower frequencies)..

9
 APPLICATION OF MICROWAVE IN MICROWAVE
DEVICE

▹ Microwave ovens work on the principle of conversion of electromagnetic energy into thermal
energy. Electromagnetic (EM) energy refers to the radiation (waves) comprising an electrical
field and magnetic field oscillating perpendicular to each other. When a polar molecule, i.e., a
molecule containing opposite charges, falls in the path of these EM radiations, it oscillates to
align with them.
▹ This causes the energy to be lost from the dipole by molecular friction and collision, resulting
in heating. The water molecules present inside our food products go under a similar
phenomenon when they come in contact with microwave radiations, heating the food from
inside out..

10
 APPLICATION OF MICROWAVE IN MICROWAVE
DEVICE

▹ Microwaves are electromagnetic radiations with frequencies between 300MHz (0.3

GHz) and 300 GHz, and the corresponding wavelengths ranging from 0.9m to .0009m,
respectively. In most of the ovens, the microwave used is of 2.24GHz frequency (i.e.,
wavelength = 12.2cm). These dimensions allow microwaves to penetrate deep inside the
food and cook it from inside, while the temperature of the air present around the food
remains constant as air is nonpolar. There is a common misconception that microwaves
in a microwave oven excite a natural resonance in water. The frequency of a microwave
oven is well below any natural resonance in an isolated water molecule, and in liquid
water, those resonances are so smeared out that they’re barely noticeable anyway

11
12
 OTHER APPLICATIONS

▹ Radio Detecting and ranging (RADAR) uses microwave radiation to detect the range, speed,
and other characteristics of remote objects.. Now radar is widely used for applications such as
air traffic control, navigation of ships, and speed limit enforcement, whether monitoring and
weather predictions
▹ Microwave imaging, photo-acoustic imaging in biomedicine.
▹ Thermotherapy, LASER therapy for cancer cell treatment.
▹ Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) including the American Global Positioning System
(GPS) and the Russian GLONASS broadcast navigational signals in various bands between
about 1.2 GHz and 1.6 GHz

13
 By Group- II

XII-C

Credits : Arjun Narsipur ( Applications ) , Ayush Sharma ( Introduction ) ,

Bhavika Tiwari ( main information ) , Jeevya Ani Singh ( Applications )
14
 “
THANK YOU !!