birefringence

American  

[bahy-ri-frin-juhns] / ˌbaɪ rɪˈfrɪn dʒəns /

noun

Optics.

1. double refraction.

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birefringence British  

/ ˌbaɪrɪˈfrɪndʒəns /

noun

1. another name for double refraction

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birefringence Scientific  

/ bī′rĭ-frĭn′jəns /

1. 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.

2. The difference in the index of refraction between two beams passing through a substance that has this property.

3. See also refraction index of refraction

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Other Word Forms

• birefringent adjective

Etymology

Origin of birefringence

First recorded in 1885–90; bi- ¹ + refringence

Example Sentences

These observations could provide another way to verify cosmic birefringence and may help scientists uncover deeper insights into the nature of dark energy.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

As a result, the researchers found that if gravitational lensing is ignored, the observed cosmic birefringence signal cannot be fitted well by the theoretical prediction, which would statistically reject the true theory.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2023

Dynamical birefringence: electron–hole recollisions as probes of Berry curvature.

From Nature • May 1, 2018

Note the double-refracted word “calcite” in the center of the figure due to birefringence.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The difference between the two indices is a measure of the strength of the double refraction or birefringence.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various