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Physics LibreTexts

1.11: Exitance M

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The exitance of an extended surface is the rate at which it is radiating energy (in all directions) per unit area. The usual symbol is M and the units are W m2. It is an intrinsic property of the radiating surface and is not dependent on the position of an observer.

Most readers will be aware that some property of a black body is equal to σT4. Technically it is the exitance (integrated over all wavelengths, with no subscript on the M) that is equal to σT4, so that, in our notation, the Stefan-Boltzmann law would be written

M=σT4,

where σ has the value 5.7×108W m2K4.

Likewise the familiar Planck equation for a black body:

Mλ=2πhc2λ5(ehc/kT1)

gives the exitance per unit wavelength interval.

The word "emittance" is an older word for what is now called exitance.

The emissivity of a radiating surface is the ratio of its exitance at a given wavelength and temperature to the exitance of a black body at that wavelength and temperature.


This page titled 1.11: Exitance M is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jeremy Tatum via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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