What is Infrared (IR)?

Infrared (IR) light is one of the many types of light that make up the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Moreover, visible light has wavelengths between 4000 and 7000 A, or between 0.4 and 0.7 microns.

That is, infrared light has wavelengths between 0.78 and 10,000 thousandths of a millimeter, and its frequency ranges from 0.3 to 384 trillion hertz.

What is Infrared, and Where is it Used?

Astronomers generally divide the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum into three wavelengths: near-IR (0.78 to 1.1 microns), mid-IR (1.2 to 15 microns), and far-IR (16 to 100 microns).

Infrared History

IR rays were discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel in 1800. Herschel was interested in learning how much heat passed through the colored filters he observed because he realized that the amount of heat they transmitted depended on color.

Herschel reasoned that colors could filter different amounts of heat. So, he designed a very original experiment to test his hypothesis. He constructed a mercury thermometer in the spectrum obtained by a glass prism to measure the heat emitted by each color.

He later discovered that although he observed the absence of light, the heat was more vital near the red band of the spectrum. This was his first experience showing that an invisible form of light could transfer heat.

Herschel used these caloric rays quite popularly throughout the 19th century, eventually calling them the most modern IR rays.

The first infrared beam detector was the bolometer, an instrument that captures the beam due to the temperature rise produced in an absorber detector.

Infrared Features

IR light is a type of light that the eyes cannot see. It indicates the temperature of an object, providing specific information that cannot be obtained from visible light.

The term “infrared” refers to wavelengths below red, as it is adjacent to the red end of the visible spectrum.

Usage Areas

Infrared light is used in night vision equipment when objects are insufficient to be seen.

However, the temperature of the invisible object is taken with the rays. It is then projected onto a screen. The hottest objects appear brightest.

A prevalent example is used by remote controls that use IR instead of radio waves because they do not interfere with other signals, such as television signals.

Computers are also used to communicate with peripheral devices at close range or to transfer data.

The light used in optical fibers is generally infrared technology.

Radiant heat is a form of energy that directly heats objects through a process called conversion without having to heat the air between them. Since the Sun is the primary source of radiant energy reaching the Earth, this heat is also called IR energy.

In addition, the benefit of its use in the field of health is that it is a vital force that causes an increase in white blood cells.

The use of this technology in the field of healthcare is a perfect business because when white blood cells are abundant, this leads to immunity, good health, and a better quality of life.

Today, many new technologies are used in many medical fields, such as hyperthermic detoxification therapies and cancer treatment, by applying IR rays to healthcare products.

The purpose of this is to accelerate the healing process by providing heat to the damaged area.

Another of the many uses of IR beams is the use of IR-emitting equipment in the industrial sector.

Examples of usage in this field include drying of paints and varnishes, paper drying, thermalization of plastics, preheating of welds, and bending, tempered, and laminated glass processes.

IR Cameras

In addition to providing benefits in many areas, unique cameras have even helped save people’s lives.

Thanks to these cameras, which help ensure the security of a specific area, even trees and objects that emit less heat than the ground can be observed.

In nature, every substance emits radiation, and thus, the wavelength at which a body emits maximum radiation is inversely proportional to its temperature. In this way, most objects in warm weather have maximum emissions in the infrared.