Radiative Transfer
Thermal radiation and its engineering applications, taught through MIT OpenCourseWare. The course covers quantum and classical models of the radiative properties of materials, electromagnetic wave theory for thermal radiation, and radiative transfer through absorbing, emitting, and scattering media, including coherent laser radiation. Applications examined include laser-material interactions, imaging, infrared instrumentation, global warming, semiconductor manufacturing, combustion, furnaces, and high temperature processing. Materials follow the standard MIT OCW format of lecture notes, problem sets, and readings drawn from the original graduate mechanical and chemical engineering curriculum. No enrollment or certificate is offered; the course is provided freely for self-study under MIT's open licensing terms. It suits students with a background in heat transfer or electromagnetics who want to study radiative energy exchange in engineering systems.