| dispersion phase | The medium or fluid in which a disperse is suspended. Synonym: continuous phase, dispersion medium, dispersion phase, external medium. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| dispersion relation | <radiobiology> For a given wave, the dispersion relation relates the temporal frequency of a wave (w, or omega) to its wavenumber k and other physical quantities characteristic of the system. Dispersion relations can be quite simple (for example, w = k c for light, c being the speed of light), and they can also be quite complex, with interesting mathematical structure. The dispersion relation and its mathematical structure provide important information about the wave, including the phase and group velocities. Note that the meaning of dispersion relation is different in plasma physics than in other fields. (09 Oct 1997) |
| optical rotatory dispersion | The method of measuring the dispersion of an optically active molecule to determine the relative magnitude of right- or left-handed components and sometimes structural features of the molecule. (12 Dec 1998) |
| temporal dispersion | Asynchronous repolarization of myocardial fibres that predisposes to abnormal current flow and ectopic rhythms (especially with bradyarrhythmias). (05 Mar 2000) |
| london dispersion forces | <chemistry> The forces that exist in nonpolar molecules that involve an accidental dipole that induces a momentary dipole in a neighbor. (09 Jan 1998) |