Astronomers detect continuous electromagnetic radiation from a distant interstellar dust cloud with a dominant frequency of 3.0×1011Hz. For this problem, take the speed of light in vacuum as 3.00×108m/s.
(a) Determine the wavelength of the detected radiation.
(b) Using accepted boundaries between regions, classify this radiation within the electromagnetic spectrum. Provide quantitative justification, citing the relevant boundary values you use.
(c) The observatory is located at sea level. Based on your answer to part (b), predict whether Earth’s atmosphere is largely transparent or opaque to this radiation, and explain your reasoning in terms of atmospheric absorption characteristics for nearby regions of the spectrum.
(d) Engineers plan to upgrade the telescope so it can also observe radiation one decade higher in frequency than the cloud’s emission. Discuss two design considerations that must change in the detector system as a consequence of operating in this adjacent spectral region.