diffract
/dɪˈfrakt
/verb [with object] Physics
Cause to undergo diffraction: experiments found that a beam of electrons could be diffracted like light (as adjective diffracted) diffracted X-rays...
- Alternating dark and light parallel lines on the detector mark where columns of silicon atoms diffract the electrons.
- So as the single photon's wave function passes through the slits it is diffracted and interferes with itself.
- In 1912, Max von Laue predicted that the spacing of crystal layers is small enough to diffract light of the appropriate wavelength.
Derivatives
diffractive
- Vortex launch with diffractive optical elements reduces back reflection into the laser source and improves the bandwidth over multimode fiber links.
- The large, open aperture of the exposed gain media provides plenty of room to multiplex pump beams as well as very low diffractive loss for the circulating laser mode.
- The general wavefront coding element is nonrotationally symmetric and smooth, although diffractive surfaces can be used.
diffractively
- The fractal behaviour of the diffractively produced particles remains almost unchanged for different flux factors.
- Diagams 1 and 2 show Feynman diagrams corresponding to the interactions necessary to diffractively produce Z and W bosons from these arrangements.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Latin diffract- 'broken in pieces', from the verb diffringere, from dis- 'away, from' + frangere 'to break'.
If light is diffracted the waves it travels in are broken up in some way. The word is from Latin diffringere ‘break into pieces’.