What is the result when infrared heaters send out radiant energy to an opaque object?

When infrared heaters send out radiant energy to an opaque object, the primary result is heat generation. This occurs because infrared radiation is absorbed by the surface of the opaque object, raising its temperature. Unlike transparent materials, which allow light to pass through, opaque objects absorb the radiant energy, converting it into thermal energy, or heat.

This process is fundamental in various applications, such as heating systems, where infrared heaters radiate energy that directly warms objects and spaces. The emitted infrared radiation interacts with the molecules in the opaque object, causing them to vibrate more rapidly, which increases the object's temperature.

The other outcomes, such as light transmission or gas expansion, are not the primary processes involved when dealing with infrared radiation and opaque materials. Light transmission would pertain to materials that allow visible light to pass through, and gas expansion is related more to the physical properties of gases when heated rather than the immediate effect of infrared radiation on solid objects. Energy absorption is part of the mechanism but does not capture the resultant effect as comprehensively as heat generation does.