Scintillation is a ubiquitous refraction phenomenon across light and radio waves
Evidence
These fluctuations are called scintillation, or more commonly, twinkling. Scintillation is a remarkably ubiquitous phenomenon in nature—for example, radio waves from sources many light years away scintillate on the timescale of hours, after passing through interstellar clouds between us and the source. The scintillation we are most familiar with is the twinkling of stars. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2615
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Defines scintillation/twinkling as a general term for fluctuations caused by refraction through an inhomogeneous medium.
Related
- Twinkling is one instance of the universal scintillation phenomenon (similarity 0.90)
- Scintillation requires a localized source, uneven speed zones, and long travel (similarity 0.88)
Broader Connections
- The wave equation fλ equals c applies to any wave in any medium
#expands(0.80) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 671 - Acoustic refraction parallels optical refraction via material-dependent wave speed
#corroborates(0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 331