Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Sawyers
However since any thermal radiator will only radiate if there is a difference in temperature between the radiator and the environment (Second laws of thermodynamics .
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Effectively so, but it's clearer to think that an object at non-zero temperature always radiates, but if it's in an environment at the same temperature, then everything else that constitutes that environment radiates precisely the same amount back at it. This allows analysis with linear equations and no 'if' clause.
Thermal radiation doesn't stop at low frequencies, even for objects smaller than a wavelength, it just becomes accessible by electrical connection and flattens off to kT Watts/Hz. With connectors in the Ohm region and a few degrees above 300K, I'm certain that the high-end people would be able to hear it, if they knew about it
David