double refraction

noun

, Optics.

1. the separation of a ray of light into two unequally refracted, plane-polarized rays of orthogonal polarizations, occurring in crystals in which the velocity of light rays is not the same in all directions.

double refraction

noun

1. the splitting of a ray of unpolarized light into two unequally refracted rays polarized in mutually perpendicular planes Also calledbirefringence

Word History and Origins

Origin of double refraction¹

First recorded in 1870–75