scintillation

[sin-tl-ey-shuh n] /ˌsɪn tlˈeɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
the act of scintillating; sparkling.
2.
a spark or flash.
3.
Astronomy. the twinkling or tremulous effect of the light of the stars.
4.
Meteorology. any small-scale twinkling or shimmering of objects that are viewed through the atmosphere, caused by an interception of the observer's line of view by inhomogeneities in the atmospheric refractive index.
5.
Physics.
  1. a flash of light from the ionization of a phosphor struck by an energetic photon or particle.
  2. random fluctuation of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave.
6.
(on a radar display) a slight, rapid shifting of a spot of light or the image of an object about its mean position.
Origin
1615-25; < Latin scintillātiōn- (stem of scintillātiō). See scintillate, -ion
Examples from the web for scintillation
  • There will be a flash or scintillation of ultraviolet light.
  • Atmosphere scintillation causes the trails to squiggle around.
  • The telecommunication link is required to function reliably in potentially severe scintillation conditions.
British Dictionary definitions for scintillation

scintillation

/ˌsɪntɪˈleɪʃən/
noun
1.
the act of scintillating
2.
a spark or flash
3.
the twinkling of stars or radio sources, caused by rapid changes in the density of the earth's atmosphere, the interplanetary medium, or the interstellar medium, producing uneven refraction of starlight
4.
(physics) a flash of light produced when a material scintillates
Word Origin and History for scintillation
n.

1620s, from Latin scintilationem (nominative scintillatio), noun of action from past participle stem of scintillare (see scintillate).

scintillation in Medicine

scintillation scin·til·la·tion (sĭn'tl-ā'shən)
n.

  1. A spark; a flash.

  2. A flash of light produced in a phosphor by absorption of an ionizing particle or photon.