How does Heat vision worK?

[Psybertrack]

Is it like fire projection?
Or is it like Cyclops eyebeams which have a concussive impact effect?
Are they MIcroweaves

[RedSunOfKrypton]

Byrne had it as a form of pyrokinesis, he just accelerated the molecules of whatever he was looking at. Waid said he projected infrared from his eyes. Maggin had him able to project anything he wanted, making pictures etc. I'd say general consensus is the heat aspect of it is him firing microwave and IR radiation in beams from his eyes.

[Psybertrack]

makes sense
infrared beams when heating my eggs in my super frying pan, microwave projection vision beams to heat substances but not burn the intervening space. cook from within.
I just thought he could burn words into cement walls if he wanted to like a drill almost, but I guess that would be possible with ir and mw beams. But there wouldn't be knocback would there, and yet i see kb every so often from heat vision. ...

[RedSunOfKrypton]

Well when air is heated rapidly it expands, and creates kinetic knockback.

[lonewolf23k]

My personal theory is that it ties into his X-Ray vision, and is actually a form of X-Ray Laser..

[Captain Kal]

Shockwaves from rapidly expanding air from heating is possible here.

Also, photons themselves possess a miniscule momentum so a tiny degree of recoil is involved in just turning on a flashlight.  Solar sails are based on that principle so they use the momentum of impinging solar photons instead of air molecules to drive them.  Our own artificial satellites are deflected measurably by solar radiation annually.  Of course, it would take a tremendous energy discharge to produce such a measurable effect as knocking back a man-sized object noticeably.

[Captain Kal]

Here's a link describing the physics of photon momentum and solar sails including the formulas for those so inclined.

http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae270.cfm

[Super Monkey]

I know it's a bit R-Rated for this site, but in the story Maximortal he tried to address his powers in a scientific way. Something to the effect that he had a large than normal heart which acted as a nuclear generator.

Maybe Superman doesn't the same thing, there is a new printing of the TPB, if you want more info, but please it is for mature readers only.