interference pattern
nounUK /ˌɪntəˈfɪərəns ˈpætən/
US /ˌɪntərˈfɪrəns ˈpætərn/
A pattern of light and dark bands that appears when two waves meet and mix together.
The interference pattern on the screen showed alternating bright and dark stripes.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A design of alternating regions formed when overlapping waves reinforce or cancel each other.
Scientists studied the interference pattern to measure the wavelength of the laser.
3. Any repeating arrangement of contrasting areas produced by the combining of two or more wave sources.
The soap bubble's colors come from an interference pattern in thin films.
4. In optics, the distribution of intensity created by the superposition of light waves.
Young's double-slit experiment produced a clear interference pattern.