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physical phenomena > event > atomic process > collision > scattering > Rayleigh scattering |
Rayleigh scattering comparison table |
Subject | is a kind of | has definition |
---|---|---|
scattering | radiation direction modification | The process whereby light is absorbed and reemitted in all directions, with essentially no change in frequency. Scattering by free electrons was the dominant source of opacity in the early universe. |
Rayleigh scattering | scattering | Selective scattering (i.e., preferential scattering of shorter wavelengths) of light by very small particles suspended in the Earth's atmosphere, or by molecules of the air itself. The scattering is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength. |
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