Dispersion (optics)
In optics, dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency, or alternatively when the group velocity depends on the frequency. Media having such a property are termed dispersive media. Dispersion is sometimes called chromatic dispersion to emphasize its wavelength-dependent nature, or group-velocity dispersion (GVD) to emphasize the role of the group velocity. Dispersion is most often described for light waves, but it may occur for any kind of wave that interacts with a medium or passes through an inhomogeneous geometry (e.g., a waveguide), such as sound waves. A material's dispersion is measured by its Abbe number, V, with low Abbe numbers corresponding to strong dispersion.
Read more about Dispersion (optics): Examples of Dispersion, Sources of Dispersion, Material Dispersion in Optics, Group and Phase Velocity, Dispersion in Waveguides, Higher-order Dispersion Over Broad Bandwidths, Dispersion in Gemology, Dispersion in Imaging, Dispersion in Pulsar Timing
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