diffraction grating

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noun Physics.

a band of equidistant, parallel lines, usually more than 5000 per inch (2000 per centimeter), ruled on a glass or polished metal surface for diffracting light to produce optical spectra.

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Also called grating.

Origin of diffraction grating

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby diffraction grating

diffluence, diffluent, Difflugia, diffract, diffraction, diffraction grating, diffraction pattern, diffractive, diffractometer, diffusate, diffuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diffraction grating in a sentence

Essentially, they form a diffraction grating, except photonic crystals only produce certain colors, or wavelengths, of light, while a diffraction grating will produce the entire spectrum, much like a prism.
In a first, scientists captured growth of butterfly wings inside chrysalis on video|Jennifer Ouellette|November 22, 2021|Ars Technica
Essentially, they form a diffraction grating, except these naturally occurring photonic crystals only produce certain colors, or wavelengths, of light, while a diffraction grating will produce the entire spectrum, much like a prism.
This miniature version of Starry Night was made with a “laser paintbrush”|Jennifer Ouellette|April 22, 2021|Ars Technica
The same method is employed to gauge the distance between the lines on a diffraction grating.
The Romance of Modern Mechanism|Archibald Williams
There are two ways open to us—one by glass prisms, and the other by a diffraction grating.
Colour Measurement and Mixture|W. de W. Abney

In some text-books it is told us that the diffraction grating gives us a dispersion which is in exact relation to the wave-length.
Colour Measurement and Mixture|W. de W. Abney
Another way of obtaining considerable dispersion is by using a diffraction grating instead of a prism.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson
The modern diffraction grating is a truly wonderful piece of work.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson

British Dictionary definitions for diffraction grating

diffraction grating

noun

a glass plate or a mirror with a large number of equidistant parallel lines or grooves on its surface. It causes diffraction of transmitted or reflected light, ultraviolet radiation, or X-rays

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for diffraction grating

diffraction grating

A polished surface, often of glass or metal, having many fine parallel stripes or slits through which radiation such as light is passed and projected onto a screen or other detection device. The interference patterns cast by the diffraction grating on the screen or detector can be analyzed to determine the frequency of the radiation. See also interferometer.