also: レーリーさんらん
noun
Rayleigh scattering
A physics term for the elastic scattering of light by particles much smaller than the wavelength, explaining phenomena like the blue sky.
空が青いのはレイリー散乱のためです。
The sky is blue because of Rayleigh scattering.
Standard spelling using the katakana form of Rayleigh.
Variant spelling with a long vowel mark; less common but still used.
Named after the British physicist Lord Rayleigh. The term is a direct loan from English 'Rayleigh scattering'.