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Rayleigh scattering
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noun Optics.
the scattering of light by particles that are very small in relation to the wavelength of the light, and in which the intensity of the scattered light varies inversely with the fourth power of the wavelength.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Compare Mie scattering.
Origin of Rayleigh scattering
First recorded in 1935–40; named after J. W. S. Rayleigh
Words nearby Rayleigh scattering
ray flower, ray gun, Rayleigh, Rayleigh disc, Rayleigh disk, Rayleigh scattering, Rayleigh wave, rayless, raylet, Raymond, Raynaud's disease
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering
noun
a process in which electromagnetic radiation is elastically deflected by particles of matter, without a change of frequency but with a phase change
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 Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering
The scattering of electromagnetic radiation by particles with dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. The frequency of the radiation is not altered by this form of scattering, though the phase of the light is usually changed. Because the amount of Rayleigh scattering is greater at shorter frequencies, more scattering of the sun's rays by the Earth's atmosphere occurs on the blue end of the spectrum than at the red end, thus more blue light reaches the Earth, and the sky generally appears blue. Compare Raman effect. See also Compton effect.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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