Comparing Emissivity Evaluation Methods for Infrared Sources

Heat transfer is governed by three distinct mechanisms: convection, conduction, and radiation. Unlike convection or conduction, heat transfer through radiation does not occur through a particular medium. To understand this phenomenon one must enter into the atomic or quantum realm. All atoms, at finite temperatures, are continuously in motion. Consequently, it may be understood that the mechanism of radiation is derived from the energetic vibrations and oscillations of these atomic particles, namely electrons.