The document discusses three modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Radiation is defined as the transfer of heat through space or matter without the need for a medium and occurs via electromagnetic waves or photons. Some key laws governing radiant heat transfer are discussed, including Stefan-Boltzmann's law which states that the emissive power of a black body is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature. Radiative properties like emissivity, absorptivity, and reflectivity are also covered.