Rayleigh
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(′rā·lē)
(optics) A unit of brightness, used to measure the brightness of the night sky and aurorae, equal to 1010/4π quanta per square meter per second per steradian.
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[Etymology: 4th Lord Rayleigh; UK 1875-1947] astrophysics. Symbol R. A very small unit of luminous intensity commensurate with the moonless night sky, equal to 106 photons or quanta per square centimetre per second.
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Rayleigh
IN BRIEF: n. - English physicist who studied the density of gases and discovered argon.
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Dictionary
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Units & Measures
A Dictionary of Weights, Measures, and Units. Copyright © Donald Fenna 2002, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
pulsating combustion
(chemistry)
Rayleigh scattering
(scattering of electromagnetic radiation)
analytical ultracentrifuge
(engineering)
limit of resolution
(optics)
Raman-Rayleigh ratio
(optics)
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