Meanings
plural Askaryan effects
- particlenatural sciencesThe phenomenon whereby a particle traveling faster than the phase velocity of light in a dense dielectric (such as salt, ice or the lunar regolith) produces a shower of secondary charged particles which contains a charge anisotropy and emits a cone of coherent radiation in the radio or microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Synonyms: Askaryan radiation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe phenomenon whereby a particle traveling faster than the phase velocity of light in a dense dielectric (such as salt, ice or the lunar regolith) produces a shower of secondary charged particles which contains a charge anisotropy and emits a cone of coherent radiation in the radio or microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Origin
Named after Soviet-Armenian physicist Gurgen Askaryan, who postulated it in 1962.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Askaryan effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Askaryan%20effect
“Askaryan effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Askaryan%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Askaryan effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Askaryan%20effect.
Source: Askaryan effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.