Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Radio
• Microwave through far infrared
• Near infrared
• Infrared
• Visible
• Ultraviolet
• X-rays
• Gamma rays
• High energy gamma rays
• 

Collective oscillation of charge carriers in bulk material (plasma oscillation). An example would be the oscillation of the electrons in an antenna.

Plasma oscillation, molecular rotation

Molecular vibration, plasma oscillation (in metals only)

Molecular electron excitation (including pigment molecules found in the human retina), plasma oscillations (in metals only)

Excitation of molecular and atomic valence electrons, including ejection of the electrons (photoelectric effect)

Excitation and ejection of core atomic electrons, Compton scattering (for low atomic numbers)

Energetic ejection of core electrons in heavy elements, Compton scattering (for all atomic numbers), excitation of atomic nuclei, including dissociation of nuclei

Creation of particle-antiparticle pairs. At very high energies a single photon can create a shower of high energy particles and antiparticles upon interaction with matter.

It is inversely proportional. As wavelengths size increases, the amount of energy within them decreases.

• Gamma ray: <10e-12 m
• Size: sub-atomic level

• X-ray: 10 nm - 0.01 nm
• Size is molecules to atoms

• UV light: 400 nm - 1 nm
• Size is bacteria to molecules

• Visible: 750 nm - 400 nm
• Size of protozoans and bacteria

• Near infrared: 2500 nm - 750 nm (2.5 um - 750 nm)
• Infrared: 250,000 nm - 2,500 nm (25um - 2.5 um)
• Size of grains of sugar to protozoans

• Microwaves: 250,000 - 1,000,000,000 nm (25 um - 1 mm)
• Size of adult humans to grains of sugar

• Radio: >1 mm (1000 m to 1 m)
• Size of buildings to adult humans.

Plasma oscillations, also known as "Langmuir waves" (after Irving Langmuir), are rapid oscillations of the electron density in conducting media such as plasmas or metals. The frequency only depends weakly on the wavelength.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter. It is an ionized gas, where the gas that has been energized to the point that some of the electrons break free from, but travel with, their nucleus - in other words allows both species of ions and electrons to coexist.

As far as we know, plasmas are the most common state of matter in the universe. Essentially, the sun, like most stars, is a great big ball of plasma. The sun's enormous heat rips electrons off the hydrogen and helium molecules that make up the sun.

They are even common here on earth. A spark in a gas will create a plasma. A hot gas passing through a big spark will turn the gas stream into a plasma that can be useful. Plasma torches like that are used in industry to cut metals.

ulatraviolet = 10 - 400 nm

Violet = 455 - 390 nm

Blue = 492 - 455 nm

Cyan = 520 - 500 nm

Green = 577 - 492 nm

Yellow = 597 - 577 nm

Orange = 622 - 597 nm

Red = 780 - 622 nm

Infrared = 750 nm - 1 mm

All of these waves are electric and magnetic forces - forces which vary with time in direction and intensity.

All have speed 186,000 miles per second = c = speed of light !

186,000 miles/sec (299,792 km/sec)

They move through vacuum,and do not need a 'carrier'. Speed decreases after entering materials

On one end of the spectrum are radio waves with wavelengths billions of times longer than those of visible light. A small portion in the middle is the visible light - a rainbow of colors that we can see. On the other end of the spectrum are gamma rays. These have wavelengths millions of times smaller than those of visible light.