Light is essential to our lives, whether it is brightening when the sun rises or turning on the lights when it gets dark at night. 

You may not have paid much attention to light because you take its existence too much for granted.

Did you know that there are different types of light? We would like to explain about it more clearly.

‘Light’ is a type of electromagnetic wave.

Electromagnetic waves are waves of energy generated where an electric current runs and a voltage is applied.

The term ‘electromagnetic wave’ may be unfamiliar to some, but our lives are made convenient by the use of it from microwave ovens, mobile phones and other sources.

We can listen to the radio and watch television thanks to the reception of electromagnetic radiation.

There are some types of Electromagnetic wave as follows.

Radio wave: Used for radios, televisions, microwave ovens, etc.
Infra-red rays： Used for warming things up, etc.
Visible ray： The ‘light’ we see.
Ultraviolet rays：Used for sterilization, etc.
X-ray：X-rays, etc.
Gamma ray：Used for crop breeding and cancer screening.

Among these electromagnetic waves, infra-red and visible light and ultraviolet radiation are referred to as ‘light’.

Infrared and ultraviolet radiation are invisible to the eye but are ‘light’.

Each Electromagnetic wave has the wave properties which are determined by the distance from wave head to wave head (one wave length) called wavelength.

The radio wave has longer wavelengths, shorter wavelengths are for ultraviolet rays and much shorter wavelengths are for X-rays and γ-rays.

SUGA’s photoemission electron microscope makes it possible to visualize the electronic state of a sample’s surface by irradiating it with short-wavelength ultraviolet light.

Although UV radiation is often demonized as a cause of sunburn, it plays a great role in research.

Your impression of UV radiation may change.

For more information about Photo Emission Electron Microscopy (PEEM).