THERMODYNAMICS OF RADIATION ENERGY-CONVERSION IN ONE AND IN 3 PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS

The case of a transmission line is considered, where photons are constrained to propagate along the line, i.e. in a one-dimensional space. Such radiation is simply noise in electrical circuits. This Nyquist noise is emitted by the resistors in the network, and can be converted into electrical or mechanical work by the photovoltaic as well as the photothermal method, just like solar radiation. All the physical and mathematical tools employed to describe solar energy conversion can be adapted for this new case. This gives rise to simple closed formulae.