physical optics

noun

the branch of optics concerned with the wave properties of light, the superposition of waves, the deviation of light from its rectilinear propagation in a manner other than that considered by geometrical optics, the interaction of light with matter, and the quantum, corpuscular aspects of light.
Compare diffraction, interference, quantum optics.

Origin of physical optics

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby physical optics

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