Waves – Understanding Low Frequency Electromagnetic Waves

electromagnetic-radiationwaves

Some frequencies of electromagnetic waves are used for transmission of information, like radiowaves, microwaves, light, but some are not..

What about low frequencies?

Perhaps low frequencies aren't used for transmission simply because the waves haven't got enough energy to reach the destination, but it's well-known that if you go near a high voltage transmission tower, you can turn on a fluorescent lamp http://www.electric-fields.bris.ac.uk/

Perhaps the intensity of the high voltage gives more photons to interact there, than in a home installation, but the fact is waves are traveling anyway at 50/60 Hz without need any modulation.

There is a limit on how low a frequency can be to put photons into travel?

Best Answer

Very Low Frequency (VLF) and Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) radio waves are used for communication between submarines, because higher-frequency radiation doesn't propagate well through sea water.

I think the main reason they're not used much outside of the water is simply that higher frequencies are easier to use for a number of reasons. For one thing, the lower the frequency you're trying to use, the longer your antenna needs to be. For another thing, the rate at which you can send information depends on the bandwidth (i.e., the range of frequencies you're using). There just isn't much bandwidth at the low-frequency end.

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