A device for detecting and measuring small amounts of thermal radiation. The bolometer is a simple electric circuit, the essential element of which is a slab of material with an electrical property, most often resistance, that changes with temperature. Typical operation involves absorption of radiant energy by the slab, producing a rise in the slab's temperature and thereby a change in its resistance. The electric circuit converts the resistance change to a voltage change, which then can be amplified and observed by various, usually conventional, instruments.