You tell me if this is possible

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
I am a novice to all of this, please be kind.

I would like to make something and I'm not sure how to do it. What I need is something to control an electrical current so that the peak amplitude is 350nm. I would also like the wave period to be 350nm as well. What would really be great is some way to adjust this from 200nm-400nm.

Does something like this exist already? Is it possible? Does my request even make sense?

Like I said I'm a novice, at worst please humor me at best set me straight.

Thanks!
 

PaulEE

Joined Dec 23, 2011
474
I am a novice to all of this, please be kind.

I would like to make something and I'm not sure how to do it. What I need is something to control an electrical current so that the peak amplitude is 350nm. I would also like the wave period to be 350nm as well. What would really be great is some way to adjust this from 200nm-400nm.

Does something like this exist already? Is it possible? Does my request even make sense?

Like I said I'm a novice, at worst please humor me at best set me straight.

Thanks!
Current is measured in amps and electromagnetic radiation in usually frequency or wavelength...

What are you working on?
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,280
nm is a measure of distance so a peak amplitude of 350nm makes no sense. For a wave period of 350nm you are looking at near UV light frequencies which are too high frequency (several hundred terra Hz) to flow as an electric current. They can only be conducted in free space, or possibly by optical fiber. Perhaps a tuneable UV laser would do what you want.
 

SgtWookie

Joined Jul 17, 2007
22,230
Keep in mind that UV under around 370nm starts to get pretty hazardous. You don't want much exposure to that at all; very bad for your eyes in particular.
 

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
nm is a measure of distance so a peak amplitude of 350nm makes no sense. For a wave period of 350nm you are looking at near UV light frequencies which are too high frequency (several hundred terra Hz) to flow as an electric current. They can only be conducted in free space, or possibly by optical fiber. Perhaps a tuneable UV laser would do what you want.

Are you saying that a the frequency can't be measured in physical dimensions? Or is it that the dimensions I want are outside the range of the electron frequency? Please elaborate on why this makes no sense.

Why is the frequency too high for this to flow as a current? Too much friction? I don't think a laser will work.

This is really important to me, I appreciate the responses from all of you.
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
You simply can´t measure current in meters. That is like measuring force or weight in meters, it doesn´t work.
You could state wavelength in meters for a sine wave in some known medium.
 

Mark_T

Joined Feb 7, 2012
47
The problem in your question is 'amplitude' of 350nm. Amplitude for a 350nm light source is the number of photons it's emitting not a height. usually measured in watts, candelas or lumins.
 

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
So maybe there is a conversion that would fix my verbiage?

Ah yes, looks like 400nm is 749481.145 Htz. Now is Hertz is not equivalent to peak amplitude is it? Is this an absurd frequency? Could I create this?

I have a feeling I will soon be corrected again...
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
I don't accept that.
How can you not accept that each physical quantity has its unit in which it is measured?

You have 7 basic SI units from which all other quantites can be derived. For example newton = kg⋅m⋅s−2.

Saying a current has amplitude of 320nm has about the same sense as saying that your weight is 40 ohms. It just doesn´t mean anything.
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
So maybe there is a conversion that would fix my verbiage?

Ah yes, looks like 400nm is 749481.145 Htz. Now is Hertz is not equivalent to peak amplitude is it? Is this an absurd frequency? Could I create this?

I have a feeling I will soon be corrected again...
That should read 700THz, that is 700 000GHz, which is way way too much for electronics. Maybe 1000GHz yes in some experimental devices, but not 700 times higher.

Amlitude and frequency are two completely separate things.
 

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
That should read 700THz, that is 700 000GHz, which is way way too much for electronics. Maybe 1000GHz yes in some experimental devices, but not 700 times higher.

Amplitude and frequency are two completely separate things.
Thanks for talking about this with me kubeek.

Why is it way too much for electrons? Is it too much energy required to create this or maybe our materials would break if we attempted this?
 

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
Ok, I understand now that I was using amplitude and frequency interchangeably. Sorry! :D

Is it incorrect to ask if I can make peak amplitude at a certain nm, or is this incorrect as well?
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
You could ask about amplitude of some wave that has certain wavelength, that makes sense. Because you are talking nm, that would be somewhere around visible light and beyond, so you might call it the intensity of light. But still, these are just technicalities.

What are you trying to achieve? You said you want electrical current at the frequency that light with λ=350nm has, if I understand your first post correctly. Why?
Wouldn´t somethin like a tunable laser be what you need?
 

Thread Starter

Robonglious

Joined Feb 8, 2012
9
Kubeek, I've found what I'm looking for.

It turns out you were right but I didn't understand... yet again. The thing I found is called an free-electron laser. I didn't know that this existed. Now I see that this won't be something I can make or buy, maybe there are some alternatives to this huge machine but I doubt it.

I can't talk too much about what I'm doing but I think it could be really important if it pans out.

Thanks again for your patience, I'm so ignorant. You must have been beating your head against the wall during this.

That being said, should I find a different forum? It seems that you are all very knowledgeable about this and I'm nowhere near.
 
Last edited:

Georacer

Joined Nov 25, 2009
5,182
Generally, this is the most beginner-friendly forum you will find, with enough members to cover all your basic needs.

BUT, if you want dedicated help and full answers, you will have to answer in your turn to the questions the people who want to help you do.
You can't expect us to help you without telling us the things we want to know. It's like going to a psychologist and not saying a word to him.
 
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