Rayleighkvoten

Rayleighkvoten is a term sometimes used in discussions related to optics and atmospheric scattering, particularly in contexts influenced by historical scientific terminology. It is not a formally recognized or standard scientific term in modern physics or optics. The name "Rayleigh" refers to Lord Rayleigh, a prominent physicist known for his foundational work on scattering of light by particles much smaller than the wavelength of light, a phenomenon now widely known as Rayleigh scattering.

The concept of a "kvot" in Swedish translates to "ratio" or "quotient." Therefore, "Rayleighkvoten" would literally mean "Rayleigh ratio" or "Rayleigh quotient." In the context of Rayleigh scattering, the intensity of scattered light is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength of the incident light (I ∝ 1/λ⁴). This relationship explains why the sky appears blue, as shorter blue wavelengths are scattered more effectively than longer red wavelengths.

While there isn't a universally defined "Rayleighkvoten," the term might arise in specific academic or historical contexts to refer to a ratio derived from Rayleigh scattering principles, perhaps comparing the scattering intensity of two different wavelengths, or relating the scattered intensity to the incident intensity under specific conditions described by Rayleigh's laws. However, in contemporary scientific literature, researchers typically refer directly to the laws of Rayleigh scattering or specific ratios derived from them, rather than using this compound term. Its usage is likely limited and may reflect a translation or a regional scientific jargon.