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A frequency interval without bulk propagating electromagnetic modes in the specified directions and polarizations. A complete gap excludes all directions and polarizations; a one-dimensional stop band need not do so.

The photon number flux density is the number of photons crossing unit normal area per unit time. A monochromatic beam of light intensity $I$ and frequency $f$ has ${\Phi }_N=I/(hf)$ because each photon carries energy $hf$. Its units are ${\mathrm{m}}^{-2}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. For a mixed spectrum, integrate the spectral light intensity divided by the corresponding photon energy.

For the standard right-wedge hyperbola and a stationary source at $x=L$ emitting rightmoving photons, the retarded null coordinate is $p=t-x=-e^{-a\tau }/a$. Equating it to the emission value $t_e-L$ gives the displayed reception relation. Differentiating yields the Doppler frequency ratio $\nu /{\nu }_0=d{t}_e/d\tau =e^{-a\tau }$. The limiting emission time $L$ is a supremum: emission exactly at that time is never received at finite proper time. These expressions use $c=1$ and acceleration continued indefinitely.

Planck's law gives the spectral radiance of an ideal blackbody in thermal equilibrium at absolute temperature $T>0$. It predicts how much power is carried in each small frequency or wavelength interval, per projected area and per solid angle. The whole curve is determined by $T$: no material-specific parameter enters this ideal Planck function.

Writing $\nu$ for frequency in hertz and $\lambda$ for wavelength in metres, the two forms of the Planck function areHere $h$ is the Planck constant, $k_B$ the Boltzmann constant, and $c$ the speed of light in vacuum. Their exact values in the International System of Units are $h=6.62607015\times 10^{-34}\mathrm{J}\mathrm{s}$, $k_B=1.380649\times 10^{-23}\mathrm{J}{\mathrm{K}}^{-1}$, and $c=299792458\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. ^[ref]

The units matter: $B_{\nu }$ is measured in $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}\mathrm{s}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}\mathrm{H}{\mathrm{z}}^{-1}$, whereas $B_{\lambda }$ is measured in $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}\mathrm{s}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$. Both are spectral radiance, rather than radiant exitance or energy density. To report $B_{\lambda }$ per micrometre, multiply its per-metre value by $10^{-6}$; a micrometre-wide interval is $10^{-6}$ metres wide.

For a computed example, at $T=6000\mathrm{K}$ and $\lambda =0.500\mu \mathrm{m}$, the exponent is $hc/(\lambda k_{B}T)\approx 4.79592$. Substitution into Planck's law gives $B_{\lambda }\approx 3.17569\times 10^{13}\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}\mathrm{s}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$, or $3.17569\times 10^7\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}\mathrm{s}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$ per micrometre. At the same wavelength, the illustrative temperatures $3000\mathrm{K}$ and $4500\mathrm{K}$ give $2.60268\times 10^5$ and $6.37793\times 10^6$ in the latter units. These are ideal predictions for stipulated temperatures.

The key change of variables is $\nu =c/\lambda$. Corresponding positive intervals carry the same power, so $B_{\lambda }d\lambda =B_{\nu }|d\nu |$ andEqual-width wavelength intervals have unequal widths in frequency; the factor $c/{\lambda }^2$ compensates for this. Merely replacing the horizontal-axis labels of $B_{\nu }$ by $c/\nu$ does not produce $B_{\lambda }$. This explains the frequency and wavelength peaks of Planck's law.

A short derivation uses the Boltzmann distribution for a single electromagnetic mode with thermal energies $nh\nu$, $n=0,1,\dots$. Put $q=e^{-h\nu /(k_{B}T)}$. The geometric series gives $Z={\sum }_{n\ge 0}{q}^n=(1-q{)}^{-1}$ and mean thermal energy $h\nu q/(1-q)$. The electromagnetic mode density in a box, including both independent polarization of an electromagnetic wave states of a photon, is $8\pi {\nu }^2/c^3$ per volume per unit frequency. Multiplication gives spectral energy density $u_{\nu }=8\pi h{\nu }^3/[c^3(e^{h\nu /(k_{B}T)}-1)]$; isotropy gives $B_{\nu }=c{u}_{\nu }/(4\pi )$. This counts thermal excitation energy, excluding zero-point energy. ^[ref]

Planck's law connects quantum mechanics to a measurable radiation curve. Its small-$h\nu /(k_{B}T)$ limit is the Rayleigh-Jeans law, $B_{\nu }\approx 2k_{B}T{\nu }^2/c^2$; its large-$h\nu /(k_{B}T)$ limit is the Wien approximation, $B_{\nu }\approx (2h{\nu }^3/c^2)e^{-h\nu /(k_{B}T)}$. The suppression at high frequency makes the total energy density finite. Integrating the curve gives the Stefan–Boltzmann law, while locating its peak gives Wien's displacement law. Thus one formula predicts both the spectral shape and the total emission.

The assumption that energy exchange with a mode of frequency $\nu$ occurs in discrete steps $h\nu$. A thermal oscillator with $E_n=nh\nu$ has $⟨E⟩=h\nu /(e^{h\nu /(k_{B}T)}-1)$, recovering equipartition for small $h\nu /(k_{B}T)$ and exponential suppression for large values.

A monochromatic vacuum plane electromagnetic wave has phase $\mathbf{k}\cdot \mathbf{r}-\omega t$, where $\mathbf{k}$ is the wavevector, $\omega >0$ the angular frequency, and $\omega =c|\mathbf{k}|$. Its field amplitudes obey $\mathbf{k}\cdot {\mathbf{E}}_0=\mathbf{k}\cdot {\mathbf{B}}_0=0$ and ${\mathbf{B}}_0=\mathbf{k}\times {\mathbf{E}}_0/\omega$.

For the linear polarization and orientation in the visualization, choose a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system and putConstant phase means $z=ct+\text{constant}$, so propagation is along $+z$. The cross product $\hat{\mathbf{x}}\times \hat{\mathbf{y}}=\hat{\mathbf{z}}$ fixes the positive Poynting vector. Both fields reverse together every half-period and are in phase. Reversing the propagation direction with the same electric orientation reverses the magnetic orientation.

These fields are spatially uniform across every transverse plane. An infinite plane electromagnetic wave is an idealization with infinite total electromagnetic energy; it is useful as a local approximation and as a building block for superposition. For frequency $f=100\mathrm{MHz}$, $\omega =2\pi f$ and wavelength $\lambda =c/f\simeq 3.00\mathrm{m}$, independently of $E_0$.

A plasma oscillation is a collective oscillation of charge density and its restoring electric field. In a three-dimensional bulk charged superfluid, long-range Coulomb forces give the longitudinal collective mode a nonzero long-wave plasma frequency. Different geometry and electromagnetic boundary conditions can change that limit.

A point on a plasma wave branch where the local wavenumber tends to zero at finite frequency. The mode may change between propagation and evanescence. For a finite magnetized cold-plasma dielectric tensor, candidate cutoffs satisfy $PRL=0$; special propagation angles require checking which factor belongs to the chosen branch.

Let $\Lambda =B{\mathbb{Z}}^d$ be a full-rank Euclidean lattice, with covolume $m(\Lambda )=|\det B|$ and dual lattice ${\Lambda }^{\vee }=B^{-\mathsf{T}}{\mathbb{Z}}^d$. For a Schwartz function $f\in \mathcal{S}({\mathbb{R}}^d)$ use the Fourier transform conventionThen the Poisson summation formula becomesBoth series have absolute convergence. To see the normalization, apply integer-lattice Poisson summation to $g(u)=f(Bu)$. The change of variables formula gives $\hat{g}(k)=|\det B{|}^{-1}\hat{f}(B^{-\mathsf{T}}k)$, yielding both the reciprocal covolume factor and the dual lattice argument. The factor is the physical lattice-point density. In particular, for spacing $h>0$,For the Gaussian function $f(x)=e^{-\pi a\Vert x{\Vert }^2}$ with $a>0$, the product of the one-dimensional Gaussian Fourier transforms givesHere $\Vert \cdot \Vert$ is the Euclidean norm. As a normalization check, take $\Lambda =\mathrm{diag}(2,3){\mathbb{Z}}^2$. Its covolume is $6$, and its dual lattice is $\mathrm{diag}(1/2,1/3){\mathbb{Z}}^2$, soThis also follows by multiplying two Gaussian Poisson summation identities with parameters $4a$ and $9a$. If one instead uses an angular Fourier transform kernel $e^{-i⟨x,\omega ⟩}$, the reciprocal frequencies are $2\pi {\Lambda }^{\vee }$, while the prefactor remains $m(\Lambda {)}^{-1}$.

A 2018 photonic experiment makes the distinction between populations and quantum coherence controllable. A 400-nm laser pumped a crystal to generate paired photons, filtered near 800 nm. One photon triggered collection; the other entered the apparatus. A half-wave plate and polarizing beam splitter selected horizontal photon polarization; another half-wave plate prepared balanced $H,V$ quantum superpositions. Separated polarization paths and diffraction gratings let a spatial light modulator control their frequency-dependent quantum phases and spectral weights. Recombined paths passed through quartz plates whose adjustable thickness controlled polarization–frequency coupling. Quarter- and half-wave plates plus a polarizing beam splitter selected tomography bases; jointly registered photodetector events supplied the readout. Quantum state tomography inferred polarization density matrices at each thickness. The dephasing model preserves diagonal populations while changing off-diagonal quantum coherence. Here the unobserved photon frequency acts as the environment for the polarization qubit. Finite modulator resolution and imperfect spectral shaping limited agreement with the intended dynamics; this experiment does not establish exact $I/2$ preparation or the ideal probabilities above. ^[ref]

Polarization of waves describes the direction and time-dependent geometry of a transverse wave's vector during its oscillation at a fixed position. In three spatial dimensions, a transverse wave can have two independent directions of oscillation, both perpendicular to its direction of propagation. For polarization of an electromagnetic wave, the relevant vector is the transverse electric field; for a mechanical transverse wave, it can be the transverse displacement. A purely longitudinal wave has no choice between these transverse directions, and the orientation of a static electric field is not polarization of waves.

Choose transverse axes $x,y$ in a Cartesian coordinate system. A monochromatic wave with a fixed phase difference has the real electric fieldHere $A_x,A_y$ are wave amplitudes, $\omega$ is the angular frequency, and $\delta$ is the phase difference of the $y$ oscillation relative to the $x$ oscillation. The vector's tip traces its path during the wave period $T=2\pi /\omega$. Both plotted coordinates are real electric field components; neither axis represents the imaginary part of a complex amplitude.

For nonzero wave amplitudes, $\delta =0$ or $\pi$ modulo $2\pi$ gives linear polarization: the vector moves back and forth along a fixed line. Equal nonzero wave amplitudes and $\delta =\pm \pi /2$ modulo $2\pi$ give circular polarization: the tip traces a circle of constant radius. Unequal nonzero wave amplitudes with $\delta =\pm \pi /2$ give a noncircular ellipse whose axes coincide with $x,y$. More generally, nonzero wave amplitudes and $\sin \delta \ne 0$ give elliptical polarization, with circular polarization as a special case. If exactly one wave amplitude vanishes, the nonzero wave has linear polarization for every $\delta$; if both vanish, there is no nonzero wave to assign a polarization of waves. ^[ref].

For example, take $\omega =2\pi {\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$, so the wave period is $T=1\mathrm{s}$. The choices $(A_x,A_y,\delta )=(2,1,0)$, $(1,1,\pi /2)$ and $(2,1,\pi /2)$, with electric field wave amplitudes in $V/m$, produce respectively the line segment $E_y=E_x/2$, the circle $E_x^2+E_y^2=1$ and the ellipse $E_x^2/4+E_y^2=1$, when coordinates are measured in $V/m$. At $t=T/4$, their tips are respectively $(0,0)$, $(0,-1)$ and $(0,-1)V/m$. The last two share a point without having the same path.

Resolving the electric field into two transverse components makes polarization of waves useful: the same frequency and wave amplitudes can describe different paths when their phase difference changes. An ideal linear polarizer selects the component along its pass axis, letting its orientation probe the direction of linear polarization through Malus's law. A fixed pair of wave amplitudes and a fixed phase difference describe one stable path; unpolarized light requires a statistical description rather than one fixed ellipse.

A radiation spectrum whose spectral flux density follows a power law over a stated frequency range. For $F_{\nu }\propto {\nu }^{-\alpha }$, the spectral energy distribution satisfies $\nu F_{\nu }\propto {\nu }^{1-\alpha }$. Thus $\alpha =1$ gives equal energy flux in equal logarithmic frequency intervals. A spectral break invalidates extrapolation with a single index.

For a fixed circular elastic membrane, the Rayleigh-Ritz variational principle applied to $f(r)=1-(r/a{)}^p$, $p>0$, gives ${\lambda }_1\le (p+3+2/p)/a^2$. The numerator of its Rayleigh quotient is $p/2$, and the denominator is $a^2{p}^2/[2(p+1)(p+2)]$. Minimization gives $p=\sqrt{2}$, ${\lambda }_1\le (3+2\sqrt{2})/a^2$, and the displayed upper bound for the ordinary frequency ${\nu }_1=c\sqrt{{\lambda }_1}/(2\pi )$. Every $p>0$ has finite radial Dirichlet energy, which is the required variational admissibility condition.

A power spectral density distributes the mean square of a signal over frequency. Its integral over the specified frequency domain gives that mean square. State whether the convention is one-sided or two-sided and whether frequency is measured in hertz or as angular frequency. For a zero-mean stationary signal, the mean square is its variance; spectral density of a stationary process gives the discrete-time convention.

A low-frequency, strongly oblique plasma perturbation in which perpendicular magnetic pressure equilibrates rapidly compared with the retained dynamics. In Gaussian units, its leading total transverse pressure perturbation vanishes as shown. Thus $\delta B/B_0=-(\beta /2)\delta p_{\perp }/p_0$, where $\beta$ is plasma beta. A small fractional magnetic field perturbation can still exert a leading force.

For weak quadratic coupling between frequencies one and two, the first oscillator's complex amplitude can obey $2i{A}_T+\alpha A+b\overline{A}=0$ with a constant real second-oscillator amplitude $b$. In real coordinates this is a linear slow system with squared growth rate $(b^2-{\alpha }^2)/4$. Exponential amplification occurs when the modulation amplitude exceeds detuning, $|b|>|\alpha |$. The method of multiple scales is valid over bounded slow time while the physical amplitudes remain in the weak-coupling regime. At equality the slow matrix can have a Jordan block and produce linear growth for some initial phases.

For real frequency $\omega >0$ and both vertical wavenumbers $p=k_{\alpha }>0$, $s=k_{\beta }>0$, let $D=k^2+ps$, $A=\rho \omega p/D$, $B=\rho \omega s/D$, and $C=k(2\mu D-\rho {\omega }^2)/(\omega D)$. With traction $\mathbf{t}=({\sigma }_{xz},{\sigma }_{zz})$ and particle velocity $\mathbf{v}=(v_x,v_z)$, each directional P wave/SV-wave field obeys $\mathbf{t}=-Z_{\pm }\mathbf{v}$. Direct displacement-potential substitution yields $Z_{-}=-Z_{+}^{†}$. The Hermitian part of $Z_{+}$ is positive diagonal; thus forward/backward fluxes have opposite signs and mixed directional flux cross terms cancel.

Pulsar dedispersion aligns radio wave arrival times in separate frequency channels before combining them. For an original illustrative model chooseBoth bracketed ratios are dimensionless, so $D$ supplies all the time units. The reference is $150\mathrm{MHz}$: delays are $0$ there, $0.13333\mathrm{s}$ at $100\mathrm{MHz}$, and $0.26833\mathrm{s}$ at $80\mathrm{MHz}$. These are chosen model values, not measurements of the first pulsar. Subtracting the delay aligns the peaks; summing channels first spreads a short pulse over a longer interval and reduces its peak. Finite channel width and incorrect delay parameters leave residual smearing.

A radio wave traversing a dilute cold plasma has a group velocity that depends on its frequency. In the ideal unmagnetized limit, the dispersion relation is ${\omega }^2=c^2{k}^2+{\omega }_p^2$, where ${\omega }_p$ is the angular plasma frequency. For $\omega \gg {\omega }_p$, differentiate to obtain $v_g=c\sqrt{1-{\omega }_p^2/{\omega }^2}$, then expand $1/v_g$ to first order. The excess travel time over a vacuum path isHere $f=\omega /(2\pi )$ is ordinary frequency, $e$ is the magnitude of the elementary charge, $m_e$ is the electron mass, ${ϵ}_0$ is the vacuum permittivity, $n_e$ is electron number density, and $c$ is the speed of light. This approximation neglects magnetic corrections, collisions and multipath scattering; its positive sign means lower frequencies arrive later.

Pump-probe spectroscopy measures a sample's response to a probe pulse at a controlled delay after an exciting pump pulse. Varying delay follows dynamics; selecting frequency and wave polarization can distinguish different contributions. Spectroscopic measurement of hydration dynamics is an application to water surrounding ions.