dispersion relation
Frequency-wavenumber connection
A dispersion relation describes how a wave's frequency depends on its wavelength or wavevector.
In physics, it characterizes how waves propagate through a medium—whether light through glass, electrons through a crystal, or ripples across water.
The relation determines whether waves of different frequencies travel at different speeds, causing a pulse to spread out (disperse) as it travels: The dispersion relation for light in a prism explains why white light separates into colors.
- sound wavesPressure disturbances carrying noise
- electromagnetic wavesSelf-propagating field oscillations
- scatteringDistribution in many directions
- standing wavesNon-propagating periodic disturbances
- photonicsLight particle science and engineering
anisotropy · eigenvalues · polarization · solid-state · quantum mechanics · excitation · boundary conditions · crystal · differential equations · oscillation · relativistic effects · wave · momentum · frequency · optical · spectrum · energy · lattice
- band structureenergy gap, band width
- opticslens, lenses, mirror, mirrors, prism
- wave physicswavelength, wave function, frequency, wave speed, wave front
- phonons