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diffraction Definition

dif·frac·tion (di frak′s̸hən)

noun

  1. the breaking up of a ray of light into dark and light bands or into the colors of the spectrum, caused by the interference of one part of a beam with another, as when the ray is deflected at the edge of an opaque object or passes through a narrow slit
  2. a similar breaking up of other waves, as of sound or electricity

Etymology: ML diffractio < L diffractus: see diffract

diffraction Related Forms
dif·frac′·tive (-tiv) adjective dif·frac′·tively adverb
diffraction Telecom Definition
The process by which the propagation of radiant waveforms or light waves is modified as those waves encounter an obstacle or discontinuity, or exit one medium and enter another. Some of the waves deviate from their paths, i.e., bend, by diffraction. See also knife-edge diffraction, reflection, and refraction.
diffraction Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • X-ray: In 1912 William Lawrence Bragg had derived an expression for the diffraction of X-rays by crystals.
  • wave: The diffraction of light waves normally limits spatial resolution of nearby objects to no better than the wavelength of the light source.

Preposition: from

  • crystal: General Remarks It is quite common to find that the diffraction from subsequent crystals for a protein do not apparently merge well.

Adjective modifier

  • single-crystal: This is a reason why D syntheses are performed in studies of electron densities by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
  • backscattered: SEM electron backscattered diffraction ( EBSD ) analysis of cataclastic microstructures Click on a thumbnail image to see the full sized picture.
  • time-resolved: In order to learn more about the mechanism of these reactions we have studies these reaction using time-resolved in-situ X-ray diffraction.
  • convergent: Convergent beam electron diffraction In many materials, the crystal structure of minority phases is not known.
  • single: We rely heavily on structural analysis by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Modifies a noun

  • grating: Question 5 A student finds an old, unmarked diffraction grating in a cupboard.
  • pattern: What else can we say about the diffraction pattern from a protein crystal?
  • maxima: It is arguable that some phonon intensity could produce lattice fringe contrast, especially if it is peaked close to diffraction maxima.
  • spike: Because almost all reflecting telescopes produce diffraction spikes, many people are used to seeing them and don't consider them an aberration.
  • peak: What causes the first sharp diffraction peak in glasses?
  • experiment: We repeated the diffraction experiments using a glass block.

Noun used with modifier

  • X-ray: For X-ray diffraction studies on organic thin films a portable vacuum chamber is used.
  • neutron: Ted was ideally placed to make use of neutron diffraction to study the nature of the vortex state.
  • powder: Users may also submit their own powder diffraction data.
  • x-ray: For small molecules, it is possible to analyze x-ray diffraction data by means of the direct methods.
  • synchrotron: We are currently broadening our repertoire into the developing of synchrotron X-ray diffraction.
  • electron: Here we report the measurement of electron diffraction patterns from these crystals.