Construct · 2 fields · 3 citations

opalescence: one construct, many systems

One name. One construct. Different systems. One map.

● invariant · one construct, two systems Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
same scattering, fixed in a solidopalescence2 SYSTEMSCritical opalescenceEINSTEIN · FLUCTUATIONSGem opalescenceOPAL · SCATTER

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1910Critical opalescence2001Gem opalescence
2026

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Physical chemistry

intense milky scattering of light by a fluid nearing its critical point, as density fluctuations grow to wavelength size.

In physical chemistry, opalescence is the intense, milky scattering of light a fluid shows as it nears its critical point: density or concentration fluctuations grow until they span sizes comparable to the wavelength of light, so the once-clear medium scatters strongly and turns cloudy. Einstein's 1910 Theorie der Opaleszenz von homogenen Flüssigkeiten... derived this critical opalescence from the thermodynamics of fluctuations, linking scattering strength to compressibility. The referent is light scattered by refractive-index fluctuations in a medium, the same physical cause behind the milky glow of an opal.[1]

Unit
The intensity and angle-dependence of light scattered by fluctuations in the medium
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Measured by the turbidity and angular pattern of scattered light, which diverge as the critical point is approached

Gemology

the soft, milky, often bluish glow of common opal and other translucent stones, caused by light scattering.

In gemology, opalescence is the soft, milky, often bluish glow of common opal and other translucent stones, produced when light scatters off sub-microscopic structures and inclusions suspended in the material. Nassau's The physics and chemistry of color places this among the scattering causes of appearance (distinct from the diffraction that gives precious opal its flashing play-of-colour), and Read's Gemmology uses the term for the characteristic turbid sheen. It is the same light-scattering construct as critical opalescence, here fixed permanently in the stone's structure rather than appearing only near a phase transition.[2][3]

Unit
The strength and colour of the milky sheen scattered from within the stone
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Judged by the intensity and hue of the scattered sheen and the scale of the scattering structures inside the stone

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Nearby constructs

play-of-color1 fields · 2 citationsanchor · one construct, one fieldiridescence3 fields · 5 citationsinvariant · one construct, three systemscause3 fields · 7 citationsjingle · one word, three constructs

References

  1. Einstein, A. (1910). Theorie der Opaleszenz von homogenen Flüssigkeiten und Flüssigkeitsgemischen in der Nähe des kritischen Zustandes. Annalen der Physik, 338(16), 1275–1298. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.19103381612
  2. Nassau, K. (2001). The physics and chemistry of color: The fifteen causes of color (2nd ed.). Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 9780471391067
  3. Read, P. G. (2005). Gemmology (3rd ed.). Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 9780750664493

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