Optical pathlength

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-007713",
  "term": "Optical pathlength",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definition": "The product of the geometric path length and the refractive index of the medium through which light travels. It represents the effective distance light travels in a vacuum that would produce the same phase change as traversing the given medium. In atmospheric remote sensing, it is a key parameter for calculating absorption and scattering by atmospheric constituents.",
  "synonyms": [
    "optical path",
    "optical length"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "optical thickness"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/optical-pathlength/"
}