A phenomenon that occurs whenever a wave is obstructed in any way Often diffraction fringes can be seen when a small aperature or object blocks light waves Scientists use diffraction gratings to break up light into many wavelengths
Process affecting wave propagation, by which wave energy is radiated normal to the direction of wave propagation into the lee of an island or breakwater
modification of the behavior of a light wave resulting from limitations of its lateral extent by an obstacle For example, the bending of light into the "shadow area" behind a particle
The deviation from linear propagation that occurs when light passes a small object or opening This phenomenon is significant only when the object or opening is on the order of the wavelength of light, between 380 and 780 nanometers for human vision For this reason, diffraction effects are ignored in most rendering algorithms, since most modeled geometry is on a much larger scale
The deviation of an electromagnetic wavefront from the path predicted by geometric optics when the wavefront interacts with, i e , is restricted by, a physical object such as an opening (aperture) or an edge (188) Note: Diffraction is usually most noticeable for openings of the order of a wavelength However, diffraction may still be important for apertures many orders of magnitude larger than the wavelength
This is the process that makes holograms work, and refers to the bending of light as it passes through very small openings Diffraction "patterns" use light wave interference to intricately control the intensity distribution of the light transmitted, so that 3-D, animated images can be formed This is different from refraction, which is the bending of light when it passes from one medium to another, like air to glass
The phenomenon occurring when water WAVES are propagated into a sheltered region formed by a BREAKWATER or similar barrier that interrupts a portion of the otherwise regular train of WAVES, resulting in the multi-directional spreading of the WAVES
Light interference, due to light interaction with an physical edge The size of the edge must be the same as the light wavelength in order to produce the interference Astronomers observe light in specific wavelengths with a diffraction grating, a glass surface with fine grooves cut into it The groove dimensions correspond to wavelengths of light, around 500 nanometers (green) +/- 150 nanometers (blue to red) Astronomers use the grating to "spread" light into its component colors, to learn about a star's temperature, composition, speed, and distance from Earth
The bending of waves around the edges of objects In connection with a blast wave impinging on a structure, diffraction refers to the passage around and envelopment of the structure by the blast wave Diffraction loading is the force (or loading) on the structure during the envelopment process
Spreading of waves around obstacles. It occurs with water waves, sound, electromagnetic waves (see electromagnetic radiation), and small moving particles such as atoms, neutrons, and electrons, which show wavelike properties. When a beam of light falls on the edge of an object, it is bent slightly by the contact and causes a blur at the edge of the shadow of the object. Waves of long wavelength are diffracted more than those of short wavelength
Diffraction, the deviation of light from rectilinear propagation, is a characteristic of wave phenomena which occurs when a portion of a wave front is obstructed in some way When various portions of a wave front propagate past some obstacle, and interfere at a later point past the obstacle, the pattern formed is called a diffraction pattern
The spreading out of light as it passes over a sharp edge, or through a narrow (in terms of wavelength) slit The obstructions in the tube of a telescope can give rise to such effects, thereby reducing image contrast and giving rise to rings and 'spikes' around stellar images, which should be purely point-like
The deflection and decomposition of light in passing by the edges of opaque bodies or through narrow slits, causing the appearance of parallel bands or fringes of prismatic colors, as by the action of a grating of fine lines or bars
A situation where waves curve or spread-out as they pass through an opening or move around a barrier Click here to see water waves diffracting (movie) Back to Top Back to Wave Index
Periodic scattering of moving objects when they collide with an orderly pattern of fixed objects Diffraction always follows Bragg's Law {n*Wavelength=2*Spacing of fixed objects*sin(angle of scattering)} This periodic scattering is useful in determining the spacing of the fixed objects since all other variables in the equation are know In Electron Microscopy the spacings being determined are those between atoms in a lattice or crystal