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Spectrometer, Ultraviolet light, Pulsed xenon lamp, Infrared light, Electric light source

The most intuitive form of radiation we experience daily is heat. Any material capable of absorbing radiation at the appropriate wavelength will heat up—even in a vacuum. This explains why spacecraft surfaces can still get “sunburned” in space, despite the absence of air.

In reality, any object that absorbs light at a specific wavelength can achieve radiant heating. Even ultraviolet light can generate heat, though infrared heating remains the most common and economical method.
Familiar examples like tungsten filament bulbs and halogen lamps are highly efficient infrared heating sources.
For more demanding applications—such as achieving extremely high temperatures in minimal time—xenon arc lamps are employed. These lamps are typically used in “arc furnaces,” where the radiation emitted by the Xenon Lamp is focused onto a tiny spot, easily exceeding 2000°C.

Interestingly, to date, no heating device can raise an object's temperature beyond that of the radiation source itself. In other words, the maximum temperature an object can reach under a light source is limited to the source's own temperature.
The only “exception” is likely the laser. Through its extremely high energy density, it can instantly heat, melt, or even vaporize materials.

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