Raman effect

[ rah-muhn ]

noun

, Optics.

1. the change in wavelength of light scattered while passing through a transparent medium, the collection of new wavelengths Raman spectrum being characteristic of the scattering medium and differing from the fluorescent spectrum in being much less intense and in being unrelated to an absorption band of the medium.

Raman effect

/ ˈrɑːmən /

noun

1. a change in wavelength of light that is scattered by electrons within a material. The effect is used in Raman spectroscopy for studying molecules

Raman effect

1. The alteration of the frequency and the phase of light as it passes through a transparent medium. The Raman effect is caused by small differences between the energy of photons absorbed by the molecules that make up the medium and the energy of photons re-emitted.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Raman effect¹

First recorded in 1925–30; named after Sir C. Raman

Word History and Origins

Origin of Raman effect¹

C20: named after Sir Chandrasekhara Raman (1888–1970), Indian physicist