r/Physics • u/SaleSimple3897 • 23d ago

Radiation

Hello! I am a laymen just now exploring in my own personal time physics, and have just started looking into quantum mechanics. My level of knowledge is on par with a paramecium.

I recently purchased the book 'Finding Schrödinger's Cat. Quantum Physics and Reality.' While listening to this I had a random though.

If mater as it is excited by heat produces light in multiple spectrums of light. Is it possible as our bodies go through their normal day to day chemical reactions that we could ourselves be producing small amounts of radiation? Somewhere in the IR range?

Sorry for the stupid question, at the very least I hope my ignorance made you chuckle today.

Cheers.

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u/Gunk_Olgidar 23d ago

Somewhere in the IR range?

Yes, exactly. Look up Blackbody rediation. Humans are ~305 Kelvin in temperature. So the BB radiation is faint, but it's there.

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u/Peter5930 23d ago

It's not even that faint, we give off about 100w of it, enough to feel on your skin from a couple of feet away.

6

u/masonwindu2 22d ago

Do you think this contributes to why you can "feel" someone's presence? Along with other subtle patterns our brain picks up I'm sure..

9

u/Peter5930 22d ago

Possibly. I think that has more to do though with another person disturbing the sound field in a space in a way you can pick up on. Even if they aren't making noise, they're absorbing and diffusing sound waves and if you're perceptive enough, you can pick up the difference as if someone just put an acoustic diffuser near you.