THE NORMALIZED CUMULATIVE BLACKBODY FUNCTIONS, THEIR APPLICATIONS IN THERMAL RADIATION CALCULATIONS, AND RELATED SUBJECTS

Abstract : Rapid calculation of the radiant power and the quantum flux emitted by a blackbody source involving any wavelength interval is made possible by the derivations in this paper which introduces the 'normalized cumulative blackbody functions' formulated by the author. Thus, in contrast to conventional blackbody tables, all different radiation temperatures and any wavelength interval are covered by one function which can be compiled in one simple table of very modest volume. The final expressions using these cumulative blackbody functions are uncomplicated equations which can be solved by slide rule operations or, for higher accuracy, by using a desk calculator. Further, the paper introduces an unambiguous symbolism for expressing power and quantum flux radiated by a blackbody source and for expressing performance factors such as conversion yields of broadband radiation detectors. Also equations for calculating the difference in power and quantum flux for blackbody sources against a blackbody background are derived. Illustrative examples for typical situations are calculated.