In
radiometry (measurement of electromagnetic radiation),
irradiance is the
radiant flux (
power)
received by a
surface per unit area, and
spectral irradiance is the irradiance of a
surface per unit
frequency or
wavelength, depending on whether the
spectrum is taken as a function of frequency or of wavelength. The
SI unit of irradiance is the
watt per square metre , while that of spectral irradiance is the watt per square metre per
hertz (W·m
-2·Hz
-1) or the watt per square metre per metre (W·m
-3)—commonly the watt per square metre per nanometre . The
CGS unit erg per square centimetre per second is often used in
astronomy. Irradiance is often called "intensity" in branches of physics other than radiometry, but in radiometry this usage leads to confusion with
radiant intensity.