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Kerr effect

American  

noun

Physics.

  1. the double refraction of light in certain substances, produced by an electric field.

Kerr effect British  

noun

  1. Also called: electro-optical effect.  the production of double refraction in certain transparent substances by the application of a strong electric field

  2. Also called: magneto-optical effect.  a slight elliptical polarization of plane polarized light when reflected from one of the poles of a strong magnet

"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

Etymology

Origin of Kerr effect

1905–10; named after John Kerr (1824–1907), Scottish physicist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This accumulation can be detected by taking advantage of the magneto-optic Kerr effect, in which the polarization, or orientation of the light, changes when it reflects from the surface of a magnet.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.