Kapitza-Dirac effect

noun

The diffraction of matter by a standing wave of light.

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Meanings

nounKapitza-Dirac effect (plural Kapitza-Dirac effects)

plural Kapitza-Dirac effects

  1. quantum mechanicsThe diffraction of matter by a standing wave of light.

Origin

Named after Paul Dirac and Peter Kapitza who predicted the effect in 1933.

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Cite this entry
APA

Kapitza-Dirac effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kapitza-Dirac%20effect

MLA

“Kapitza-Dirac effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kapitza-Dirac%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kapitza-Dirac effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kapitza-Dirac%20effect.

Source: Kapitza-Dirac effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.