zurückgestreute

Zurückgestreute is a German adjective formed from zurückstreuen, meaning to scatter back. It is commonly used in technical contexts to describe radiation, particles, or light that have been scattered in the reverse direction relative to the original beam. The form zurückgestreute is the attributive past participle used before feminine singular nouns (for example, die zurückgestreute Strahlung), with other nouns showing different endings according to gender, number, and case.

In physics and radiology, zurückgestreute Strahlung or zurückgestreute Partikel describes radiation that, after interaction with matter, is deflected toward the source or toward the detector. In X-ray imaging and dosimetry, backscattered radiation contributes to patient dose and detector readings, necessitating calibration and shielding considerations. A related concept is der Rückstreuungsfaktor (backscatter factor), the ratio of the dose at a point in a medium with backscatter to the dose with only primary radiation, varying with energy, field size, and geometry; typical values in diagnostic radiology span roughly 1.0 to 2.0.

Outside radiology the term can appear in descriptions of light or particles that have been scattered back to the source in optics, acoustics, or material science, though the exact terminology may vary by field. The word remains a concise way to express reverse-direction scattering in German technical discourse.