photophoresis Physics.
(fəʊtəʊfɒˈriːsɪs)
Also with hyphen.
[ad. G. photophorese (F. Ehrenhaft 1918, in Ann. der Physik LVI. 93): see photo- 1 and -phoresis.]
The motion of small particles under the influence of a beam of light.
| 1919 Sci. Abstr. A. XXII. 275 (heading) Mechanical and osmotic actions of radiation on the media passed through. Theory of photophoresis. 1950 Engineering 14 Apr. 407/1 The generation of such heat would probably introduce difficulties due to thermal currents and photo-phoresis effects. 1972 Sci. Amer. Feb. 64/3 In the case of photo⁓phoresis single particles would be heated asymmetrically by the light and would as a result move through the surrounding medium. |
Hence photophoretic (-fɒˈrɛtɪk) a., of or pertaining to photophoresis.
| 1924 Sci. Abstr. A. XXVII. 397 Especially through it [sc. this hypothesis] is the fact of the small dependence of the photophoretic force on pressure made understandable. 1941 Physical Rev. LX. 169/2 The possibility of finding an explanation of the cause of the Earth's magnetism in terms of the photophoretic influence will be discussed. 1976 Chem. Abstr. 23 Feb. 404/2 Est[imatio]n of the value and direction of photophoretic velocity was made. |