Can radio antennas emit visible light ..?
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As you may have learned, electromagnetic waves come in many different frequencies, from radio, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet to x-rays and gamma rays. The red light emitted by a glow stick is fundamentally the same as the radio wave emitted by your Wi-Fi router. Both are electromagnetic waves. The red light just has a much higher frequency than the radio wave (the frequency is a measure of how many cycles the wave completes every second). Because they are fundamentally the same, you could be tempted to conclude that you can get a radio antenna to emit controlled visible light by simply cranking up the frequency of the circuit that is driving the antenna. While this makes sense at first glance, the reality of the material properties of antennas gets in the way. A radio antenna works by using electric circuits to push electrons up and down the antenna, causing the electric fields of the electrons to wave up and down as well. These oscillating electric fields then travel away as electromagnetic radio waves. The frequency of the radio wave is equal to the frequency at which you push the electrons up and down the antenna.
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Yes, radio antennas can emit visible light, but probably not in the way that you're thinking. ... As you may have learned, electromagnetic waves come in many different frequencies, from radio, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet to x-rays and gamma rays.
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