thermal emission
- noun
- /ˈθɜrməl ɪˈmɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
emisión térmica
- The electrons that produce thermal emission travel at relatively slow speeds.
Examples
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In addition, the spacecraft were outfitted with spectrometers to record emissions from the nucleus and coma, including thermal emission from the nucleus.
Academic text (1992) -
The electrons would give off thermal emission (see box on p. 17).
Academic text (1996) -
Thermal emission has a flat spectral index:
Academic text (1996) -
Gas heated by stars produces thermal emission, whereas supernova remnants produce synchrotron emission.
Academic text (1996) -
The most prominent thermal emission (left center) comes from the gas in the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus).
Academic text (1996) -
The spacecraft detected thermal emission from the surface of the asteroid, indicating its high temperature.
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Scientists analyzed the thermal emission of the star to determine its temperature and energy output.
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The researchers used a special camera to capture thermal emission from the lava flow, revealing its heat signature.
Synonyms
Electrons escape from a hot metal surface
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'thermal' (related to heat) + 'emission' (release), so its core meaning 'a release caused by heat' is directly derivable from the constituents. The precise technical target of the emission (electrons) is domain-specific, but an average B1 learner who knows both words will understand the general heat-caused release.
Etymology
The noun thermal emission comes from a simple image: thermal means heat and emission means 'sending out', so it suggests something hot sending out tiny particles called electrons. That's why the phrase means 'the release of electrons when a material gets hot'.
