birefringence
[ bahy-ri-frin-juh ns ]
/ ˌbaɪ rɪˈfrɪn dʒəns /
noun Optics.
Words nearby birefringence
birdseed, birdseye, birdshot, birdsong, birectangular, birefringence, bireme, birendra bir bikram shah dev, biretta, birgitta, biri
Origin of birefringence
OTHER WORDS FROM birefringence
bi·re·frin·gent, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for birefringence
The difference between the two indices is a measure of the strength of the double refraction or birefringence.
British Dictionary definitions for birefringence
Derived forms of birefringence
birefringent, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medicine definitions for birefringence
birefringence
[ bī′rĭ-frĭn′jəns ]
n.
The resolution or splitting of a light wave into two unequally reflected waves by an optically anisotropic medium such as calcite or quartz.
Other words from birefringence
bi′re•frin′gent adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for birefringence
birefringence
[ bī′rĭ-frĭn′jəns ]
The property or capacity of splitting a beam of light into two beams, each refracted at a different angle, and each polarized at a right angle to the other. Certain crystals such as calcite and quartz have this property.
The difference in the index of refraction between two beams passing through a substance that has this property. See also refraction index of refraction.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.