stråle

Stråle is a Swedish noun that translates to ray, beam, or jet in English. It describes a narrow stream or path of something that propagates from a source, such as light, particles, or liquid. In everyday language it can refer to a single line of light or a more general sense of a directed flow.

In science and engineering, stråle is used to characterize directed forms of energy or matter. In optics, a ljusstråle (light ray) represents the direction of light propagation and is a fundamental concept in geometric optics, where rays are traced through lenses and surfaces. In radiation and health contexts, röntgenstråle denotes an X-ray beam, and terapeutisk stråle refers to therapeutic radiation used in cancer treatment. In accelerator physics, termen like elektronstråle describe beams of charged particles, such as electrons, that are focused and guided for experiments or applications.

In fluid dynamics and industrial processes, stråle can describe jets or streams of liquid or gas, for example en vattenstråle (water jet) or luftstråle (air jet). The term is flexible across disciplines, generally capturing the idea of a directed, narrow flow.

Etymology traces stråle to a Germanic root related to shooting or emanating, and cognates appear in Danish and Norwegian with similar meanings. The word is commonly used in Swedish technical and everyday contexts to denote a directed line or flow of energy, matter, or radiation.