birefringence

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Italic *dwi- Latin bi-bor. English bi- English refringence English birefringence From bi- + refringence.

1. The splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization by passage through an optically anisotropic medium; the property of a material that light passing through it is so split.

   “In figure 6, the birefringence, δ, for 2H, 4H, 6H, and 15R is plotted as a function of wavelength.”

   “This means that, in contrast to the relaxation after steady shear flow, one has actually to expect that there will be a significant difference in the speeds of relaxation of birefringence and recoverable shear like the difference suggested by the courses of curves I and II of Fig.4.1.”