dekompression

Dekompression is a term used in several disciplines to describe the process of reducing pressure or returning a system to ambient pressure after compression. In German-language contexts, the term is commonly used, while in English-speaking contexts the spelling is decompression. The concept is rooted in the gas laws that govern how gases behave when pressure changes, and it has technical, medical, and computational applications.

In physics and engineering, decompression can refer to the release of compressed gases or to the gradual easing of pressure in a sealed environment. A key concern is the formation of gas bubbles when dissolved inert gases come out of solution as pressure falls, a phenomenon described in decompression theory.

In diving, decompression is the controlled ascent from a depth with staged stops to allow inert gases to be eliminated safely from the body. Decompression planning uses dive tables or computer algorithms, and includes safety stops to reduce the risk of decompression sickness.

In aviation, decompression can describe a loss of cabin pressure or the controlled pressurization needed to protect occupants at altitude. Unplanned decompression requires oxygen for occupants and a rapid descent to a safe altitude; modern aircraft are designed to detect and limit pressure changes.

In medicine, decompression therapy refers to hyperbaric treatment in which patients are exposed to higher-than-atmospheric pressure to increase dissolved oxygen and reduce gas bubbles, as in decompression sickness or certain gas embolisms and poisoning cases.

In computing and data transmission, decompression is the process of restoring compressed data to its original form using algorithms such as Deflate, Huffman coding, or LZ77. Decompression is the inverse of data compression and is essential for storage, transmission, and decoding of information.