spectropolarimeter

[ spek-troh-poh-luh-rim-i-ter ]

noun

, Optics.

1. an instrument for determining the extent to which plane-polarized light of various wavelengths is rotated by certain solutions, consisting of a combination of a spectroscope and a polarimeter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spectropolarimeter¹

spectro- + polarimeter

Example Sentences

FlyPol, a spectropolarimeter, measures how much light is transformed in this way as it bounces back from sunlit landscapes.

From Scientific American