diffraction
The bending of a wave around an obstacle.
Other meanings
The breaking up of an electromagnetic wave as it passes a geometric structure (e.g. a slit), followed by reconstruction of the wave by interference.
Related words
- diffractionist
- diffractionless
- microdiffraction
- subdiffraction
- diffraction limit
- diffraction pattern
- neutron diffraction
- X-ray diffraction
- diffraction grating
Word history
From Latin "diffringo" (to shatter, to break into pieces).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “diffraction” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.