Dispersiiviset

Dispersiiviset is a Finnish adjective used to describe phenomena, properties or effects that vary with frequency and cause dispersion. The root term dispersio refers to spreading, and dispersiiviset is used to modify plural nouns such as ominaisuudet (properties), ilmiöt (phenomena), aallot (waves) or signaalit (signals).

In physics and engineering, a dispersiivinen medium exhibits a refractive index that depends on wavelength, so different frequency components travel at different phase and group velocities. This leads to the spreading of wave packets and chromatic dispersion in optical systems. In telecommunications, dispersion management is important for preserving signal integrity in fiber-optic networks.

In geophysics and acoustics, dispersiiviset ilmiöt arise when wave speeds depend on frequency, allowing researchers to deduce properties of the medium from observed dispersion relations. In mathematics and theoretical physics, dispersive partial differential equations describe how waves spread over time; examples include the linear Schrödinger equation and various models of water waves.

In materials science, engineered dispersive properties are exploited in metamaterials and photonic crystals to control light or sound. The term is widely used across disciplines to denote frequency-dependent behavior of propagating quantities, and it is typically combined with nouns to form phrases such as dispersiiviset ominaisuudet or dispersiiviset ilmiöt.