interference pattern

noun

, Physics.

1. a series of alternating dark and bright bands produced as a result of light interference.

interference pattern

1. An overall pattern that results when two or more waves interfere with each other, generally showing regions of constructive and of destructive interference. Optical interference patterns are analyzed in devices such as interferometers; the acoustic effect of beats is an example of an interference pattern.

Word History and Origins

Origin of interference pattern¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

This interference pattern, he argued, appeared because light waves from each slit cancel out and add together at different locations.

From Quanta Magazine

However, if anyone monitors which slit each photon goes through, the interference pattern disappears.

From Quanta Magazine