Diffraction Grating (Noun)
Meaning
Optical device consisting of a surface with many parallel grooves in it; disperses a beam of light (or other electromagnetic radiation) into its wavelengths to produce its spectrum.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- A diffraction grating is commonly used in monochromators to select specific wavelengths of light.
- The diffraction grating in this spectrograph divides the collected light into its spectral components.
- Prisms and diffraction gratings are two popular optical dispersing elements used to study light spectra.
- Diffraction gratings can be made with a variety of techniques such as using a ruling engine or holography.
- When light passes through a diffraction grating, the various wavelengths deviate at slightly different angles, allowing them to be dispersed and analyzed.