EE-424 Remote Sensing, Spring 2017

Lecture Materials 2 Photon and Electromagnetic Radiation

John Saghri

Visible light, radio

waves, heat,
ultraviolet rays, x-
rays are all forms of
electromagnetic
energy.

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/rs/back/spectrum/

A light wave is a transverse wave composed of coupled electric E and

magnetic M fields oscillating in mutually perpendicular directions

the transverse light wave itself propagates in a direction that is perpendicular to the
directions of oscillation of both the electric and magnetic fields.

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 Sound waves are different than light waves

Unlike light and radio waves, sound waves are not electromagnetic waves.
Sound is vibration of matter
Electromagnetic waves are related to electrical and magnetic fields and
readily travel through space.

comparison of a transverse
wave such as a water wave
and the compression wave
sound wave.

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 Relation Between Wavelength and Frequency
(wave equation)

The wavelength , frequency f and the velocity C have the

following relation.

f = C /

Where: C is the velocity of light (3 x 108 m/sec in vacuum)

f is the frequency in hertz (Hz),

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Quantum characteristics of light and electromagnetic radiation

- Light and other electromagnetic radiation is emitted in discrete amounts

of energy (i.e., quanta/photon) and travel in straight lines.

- The frequency of the light and the energy are related by a simple
equation:

E=hf
Where:
E = energy in Joules
h = Plancks Constant of 6.6 1034 Joules x seconds
f = frequency of the radiation in Hz

- We can combine the equation above with the wave equation ( f = c / ):

E=hc/

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Question 1: What is the photon energy of light of wavelength 350 nm?

f = c / = (3 108 m/s) (350 10-9 m) = 8.57 1014 Hz.

E = h f = (6.6 1034 Js ) (8.57 1014 Hz ) = 5.65 10-19 J

Question 2a: A photon has an energy of 10.3 eV. What is its wavelength?
Note: 1 eV = 1.6 10-19 J

Energy = 10.3 eV (1.6 10-19 ) J /eV = 1.648 10-18 J

f = E / h = (1.648 10-18 J ) (6.6 1034 Js ) = 2.50 1015 Hz

= c / f = 3.00 108 m/s 2.50 1015 Hz = 1.20 10-7 m = 120 nm

Question 2b: Where on the electromagnetic spectrum would this be?

This is UV Light

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Bands used in Remote Sensing

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Remote Sensing Platforms

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Remote Sensing Data Collection

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Components of Ideal Remote Sensing

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 Factors affecting the spectral signature

Solar position
Atmosphere
Meteorology
Season
Ground condition
Sensor characteristics
Sensor position

Sensor
A device to detect the electro-magnetic radiation reflected or emitted
from an object is called a "remote sensor" or "sensor". Cameras or
scanners are examples of remote sensors.

Platform
A vehicle to carry the sensor is called a "platform". Aircraft or
satellites are used as platforms

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 Radiation theory

The ultimate energy source for our weather and climate is solar radiation
from the Sun which is concentrated within 0.2- 4 m

Stefan-Boltzmann Law states that the amount of energy per square meter
per second that is emitted by an object is related to the fourth power of its
Kelvin temperature.
For example, the Sun emits about 160,000 times as much energy
as the Earth because it is about 20 times hotter.

Wiens Law
the hotter an object, the shorter the wavelength of maximum emission of
radiation.
________2900___________
Wavelength (m) of maximum =
Objects temperature in Kelvin
The hotter an object, the shorter the wavelength of maximum emission radiation

The earth also emits radiation called terrestrial or long-wave radiation

which is less energetic than solar radiation and therefore
characterized by longer wavelengths, typically around 10 m.
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 Kelvin Scale

The Kelvin temperature scale (K) was developed by Lord Kelvin in the mid 1800s

The zero point of this scale is equivalent to -273.16 C on the Celsius scale.

This zero point is considered the lowest possible temperature of anything in

the universe.

Therefore, the Kelvin scale is also known as the "absolute temperature scale"

At the freezing point of water, the temperature of the Kelvin scale reads 273
K. At the boiling point of water, it reads 373 K.

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 Black Body Radiation & Planks Law

A black body is matter which

absorbs all electro-magnetic
energy incident upon it and
does not reflect nor transmit any
energy. It only radiates back the
incident energy at various
wavelength in accordance to its
temperature
Black body radiation is defined
as thermal radiation of a black
body, and can be given by
Plank's law as a function of
temperature T and wavelength

A grey body radiates with some emissivity multiplied by the black-body formula.

Emissivity is the ratio of energy radiated by a grey body at a given temperature to the to
energy radiated by a black body at the same temperature
Kirchhoff's law states that at thermal equilibrium, the emissivity of a body (or surface) equals its
abosrptivity

Absorptivity is the fraction of incident light (power) that is absorbed by the body/surface 13
The sun is considered as a black body
with a temperature of 5,900K

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 Solved Exercise ( Wien's Law )

The sun has a temperature of 5800K. What is the sun's wavelength of

maximum emission?
Wiens Law:

Wavelength of maximum emission = 2900/Object's temperature in Kelvin

Sun's wavelength of maximum emission = 2900/5800 = 0.5 microns

The Earth has an average temperature of 288K. What is the Earth's

wavelength of maximum emission

Wiens Law:

Wavelength of maximum emission = 2900/Object's temperature in Kelvin

Earth's wavelength of maximum emission = 2900/288 = 10 microns

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 Solved Exercise (Stefan Boltzmann law)

How much more energy is emitted by an object that has a temperature of

100K compared to an object that has a temperature of 10K

E proportional to T 4

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E proportional to (100)4 = 10 for the object with a temperature of 100K

E proportional to (10)4 = 104 for the object with a temperature of 10K

Energy emitted by object at 100K / Energy emitted by object at is 10K is:

= 108/104 = 104 = 10,000.

That is the object at 100K emits 10,000 times more energy than the object at 10K

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 Electromagnetic Wave Problems (using f = C / and E = h * formulas)

(You should solve these problems yourself)1

1) A ray, emitted from the sun, is shining through your kitchen window into a prism. The prism
then casts a rainbow on the windowsill. You just so happen to have a hand-held radiometer
handy; closing your eyes you place the instrument on a specific color of the rainbow. You
then open your eyes to see that the radiometer measured the energy from that color at 3.0 x
10-19 joules. Given Plank's constant of 6.6256 x 10-34 joules x sec, what possible color did
the radiometer measure? How do we know this?

Note:. The visible spectrum is measured from 4.3 x 1014 Hz (red colors) to 7.5 x 1014 Hz (violet
colors.

2) How many joules of energy are contained in a photon with a wavelength of 600 nm?

Source: University of Wisconsin at Madison

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Processes of Atmospheric Radiation

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 Transmittance of the Atmosphere

The sunlight's transmission through the atmosphere is affected by absorption

and scattering of atmospheric molecules and aerosols.

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Transmittance of the Atmosphere

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Comparison of Earth/Sun spectral signature, Atmospheric transmittance,
& Spectral ranges for passive and active remote sensing

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 Reflectance
Reflectance is defined as the ratio of incident flux on a sample surface to
reflected flux from the surface. Reflectance ranges from 0 to 1.

Albedo is defined as the reflectance using the incident light source from the sun.

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 Spectral Reflectance of Land Covers

Spectral reflectance is assumed to be different with respect to the type of

land cover, This is the principle that in many cases allows the identification of
land covers with remote sensing by observing the spectral reflectance or
spectral radiance from a distance far removed from the surface.
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Spectral reflectance of different kind of plants

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Spectral reflectance of rocks and minerals

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Spectral reflectance of Clouds, Snow, and Water

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 Example (airborne hyperspectral imaging)
AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer; e.g., HyMap spectral scanner)

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 Example (airborne hyperspectral instrument)
HyMap hyperspectral scanner data and spectral reflectance curves

Color IR Locations of six

components of minerals displayed on
three spectral gray-scale image
bands

The HyMap scanner is the most advanced commercial hyperspectral sensor available today. It provides high accuracy,
calibrated radiance data. The HyMap covers the spectral range from 440-2540 nm in 128 channels with a pixelsize of 5
m from 2500 m altitude

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http://www.aigllc.com/data_acq/hymap_2002/intro.htm
 Example (airborne hyperspectral instrument)
HyMap hyperspectral scanner data and spectral reflectance curves

Laboratory Spectral
spectral signature of
signature the selected
of the minerals as
selected determined
minerals by the actual
HyMap data

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 Example (spaceborne hyperspectral instrument)
Isometric view of a hyperspectral image cube showing the spatial and
spectral characteristics of 187 bands (EO-1 Hyperion Data)

Hyperion is a hyperspectral
imaging instrument on board
of the NASAs EO-1 satellite

Hyperion is capable of
resolving 220 spectral bands
(from 0.4 to 2.5 micron) with
a 30-m resolution.

Hyperion images a 7.5 km

by 100 km land area per
image.

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View of the Earth with EO-1 and LANDSAT-7 showing instrument swath widths

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 Types of Sensor Platforms and Observation

36,000 km

A radiosonde is a probing
unit for use in weather
balloons that measures
various atmospheric
parameters (e.g., pressure,
altitude, temperature, wind
speed) and transmits them
to a fixed receiver.

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http://www.profc.udec.cl/~gabriel/tutoriales/rsnote/cp5/t5-1-1.gif
Spectral and Spatial Resolution of various Satellite Sensors

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http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect21/Sect21_1.html
 Atmospheric Condition and Altitude

Atmospheric condition (air pressure, temperature, and density) is different depending

on the altitude. This factor must be considered in the selection of platforms or sensors.

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Atmospheric Transmission and Energy of EM Radiation (Sun & Earth)

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 Altitude and Azimuth

To find an object in the sky, two coordinates are needed, its

azimuth and its altitude

Altitude is the angle of the object from

the observer's horizon. If an object is
on the horizon, its altitude is 0
degrees. If it is at the observer's
zenith, its altitude os 90 degrees.

Azimuth is the angle of the object

from the observer's north point
(projected onto the horizon). If an
object is due north, its azimuth is 0
degrees. If it is due east, its azimuth is
90 degrees, etc.
Nadir is directly below the observer and hence
it is diametrically opposite the zenith.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/glossary/index.shtml#azimuth 36
 THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

The Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer (480 km) of gases that

surrounds the Earth (radius of Earth is about 6300 km).

It composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon

dioxide, and trace amounts of other gas

This thin gaseous layer insulates the Earth from extreme temperatures;
it keeps heat inside the atmosphere and it also blocks the Earth from
much of the Sun's incoming ultraviolet radiation.

Most of the atmosphere (about 80%) is within 10 miles (16 km) of the
surface of the Earth

There is no exact place where the atmosphere ends; it just gets thinner
and thinner, until it merges with outer space.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/glossary/index.shtml#azimuth
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 Air Pressure

At sea level, the air pressure is about 14.7 pounds per square inch.

As the altitude increases (for example, climbing a mountain), the air

pressure decreases.

At an altitude of 10,000 feet, the air pressure is 10 pound per

square inch (and there is less oxygen to breathe).

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 The average
temperature
profile through
the Earth's
atmosphere

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http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/earth/images/profile_jpg_image.html&frp=/windows3.html&cd=false&fr=f&sw=false&art=ok&edu=mid&cdp=/windows3.html
 Selection of Platform

Platforms with the highest altitude are geosynchronous satellites such as

the Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite (GMS), which has an altitude
of 36,000 km at the Equator.

Most of the orbiting Earth observation satellites, such as Landsat, SPOT,

MOS etc. are at about 900 km altitude with a sun synchronous orbit.

From lower orbit, there are space shuttle (240-380 km), radiosonde ( ~ 100
km), high altitude jet-plane ( 10,000 m), low or middle altitude plane (500-
8,000 m), radio controlled plane ( - 500 m) and so on.

The key factor for the selection of a platform is the altitude which
determines the ground resolution

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 Geosynchronous Orbits

(GEO=geosynchronous) orbit is one in which the satellite is always in the

same position with respect to the rotating Earth.

The satellite orbits at an elevation of approximately 35,790 km because that

produces an orbital period (time for one orbit) equal to the period of rotation
of the Earth (23 hrs, 56 mins, 4.09 secs).

By orbiting at the same rate, in the same direction as Earth, the satellite
appears stationary (synchronous with respect to the rotation of the Earth).

Geostationary satellites provide a "big picture" view, enabling coverage of

weather events. This is especially useful for monitoring severe local storms
and tropical cyclones.

Because a geostationary satellite has an equatorial orbit, it provides

distorted images of the polar regions with poor spatial resolution.

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 Polar Orbits

Polar-orbiting satellites provide a more global view of Earth, circling at near-polar

inclination (the angle between the equatorial plane and the satellite orbital plane -- a true polar
orbit has an inclination of 90 degrees).

They orbit the Earth at an altitude of 700 to 800 km, these satellites cover (image)
places on Earth not clearly visible by geostationary satellite, e.g., Antarctica,

These satellites operate in a sun-synchronous orbit.

The satellite passes the equator and each latitude at the same local solar
time each day throughout all seasons of the year

This feature enables regular data collection at consistent times as well as

long-term comparisons.

The orbital plane of a sun-synchronous orbit must also rotate

approximately one degree per day to keep pace with the Earth's surface.

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 Inclined Orbits

Inclined orbits have an inclination between 0 degrees (equatorial orbit)

and 90 degrees (polar orbit).

These orbits may be determined by the region on Earth that is of most

interest (i.e., an instrument to study the tropics may be best put on a low
inclination satellite

The orbital altitude of these satellites is generally on the order of a few

hundred km, so the orbital period is on the order of a few hours.

However, these satellites are not sun-synchronous; so they will view a

place on Earth at varying times.

Look at Orbit animation at:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/geo-orbits/en

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