attenuationstal

Attenuationstal is a metric used in the modeling of wave propagation to quantify the attenuation of a signal per unit length as it travels through a medium. It is defined as A_st = (1/L) ln(I0/IT), where L is the path length, I0 is the incident intensity and IT is the transmitted intensity. In the common case described by the Beer–Lambert law, I = I0 e^{−μ L}, the attenuationstal reduces to A_st = μ, the linear attenuation coefficient, with units of inverse length (m−1).

It is frequency- and direction-dependent, since scattering, absorption, and phase changes contribute to the net loss. It can be measured with transmission experiments in optics, acoustics, or other wave systems by measuring I0 and IT for a known path length, then computing A_st = (1/L) ln(I0/IT).

Applications include characterizing materials in nondestructive testing, assessing optical coatings, and informing simulations of ultrasound or electromagnetic wave propagation. Because it aggregates multiple loss mechanisms into a single per-length quantity, the attenuationstal can vary with wavelength, temperature, and microstructure, and different research communities may prefer the older term “attenuation coefficient” or related concepts.

Origin and status: The term attenuationstal is not yet standardized in the broader literature and appears mainly in niche modeling frameworks. It is intended as a straightforward, interpretable surrogate for per-length attenuation when a simple exponential model applies.

See also: Attenuation coefficient, Optical depth, Beer–Lambert law, Attenuation length.