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Radio waves were first predicted by the theory of electromagnetism that was proposed in 1867 by Scottish mathematical physicist James Clerk Maxwell. [5] His mathematical theory, now called Maxwell's equations, predicted that a coupled electric and magnetic field could travel through space as an "electromagnetic wave".
For example, many hydrogen atoms emit a radio wave photon that has a wavelength of 21.12 cm. Also, frequencies of 30 Hz and below can be produced by and are important in the study of certain stellar nebulae [ 4 ] and frequencies as high as 2.9 × 10 27 Hz have been detected from astrophysical sources.
ELF radio waves are generated by lightning and natural disturbances in Earth's magnetic field, so they are a subject of research by atmospheric scientists. Because of the difficulty of building antennas that can radiate such long waves, ELF have been used in only a very few human-made communication systems.
Radio waves are defined by the ITU as: "electromagnetic waves of frequencies arbitrarily lower than 3000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide". [5] At the high frequency end the radio spectrum is bounded by the infrared band. The boundary between radio waves and infrared waves is defined at different frequencies in different ...
Thus, higher frequency photons have more energy. For example, a 10 20 Hz gamma ray photon has 10 19 times the energy of a 10 1 Hz extremely low frequency radio wave photon. The effects of EMR upon chemical compounds and biological organisms depend both upon the radiation's power and its frequency.
Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves as they travel, or are propagated, from one point to another in vacuum, or into various parts of the atmosphere. [1]: 26‑1 As a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light waves, radio waves are affected by the phenomena of reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorption, polarization, and scattering. [2]
Energy from RF currents in conductors can radiate into space as electromagnetic waves (radio waves). [2] This is the basis of radio technology. RF current does not penetrate deeply into electrical conductors but tends to flow along their surfaces; this is known as the skin effect.
[1] [2] It is in the microwave part of the radio spectrum, between the super high frequency band and the terahertz band. Radio waves in this band have wavelengths from ten to one millimeter, so it is also called the millimeter band and radiation in this band is called millimeter waves, sometimes abbreviated MMW or mmWave. [3]