backscatter
noun
back·scat·ter ˈbak-ˌska-tər 
variants or less commonly backscattering
ˈbak-ˌska-tə-riŋ
: the scattering of radiation or particles in a direction opposite to that of the incident radiation due to reflection from particles of the medium traversed
also : the radiation or particles so reversed in direction
backscatter verb
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web That means a liquid lake should produce less backscatter than a frozen surface. 
Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2021 The light, called backscatter, can be analyzed to find the frequency of wingbeats, which lets researchers determine the numbers and species of insects passing through. Susan Cosier, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2020 Meanwhile, backscatter instruments atop the ship scanned seafloor for any hard objects. Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 8 July 2018 The technique, called backscatter, has previously been used for low-data rate sensors, like those used for temperatures. Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2018 These companies exploit a property of the cables called 'backscatter' to track movement of the cables and record seismic events. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 20 Oct. 2017 Some of that light hits impurities in the glass walls of the cable and bounces back; this is the 'backscatter' referred to earlier. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 20 Oct. 2017 Most exciting applications Smith says the backscatter chips could be manufactured for less than a quarter apiece. NBC News, 29 Sep. 2017 The phone generates its own signal using backscatter, a technique already common in RFID—as in radio frequency identification—chips that encodes existing radio signals with new information and reflects them back to a receiver. David Z. Morris, Fortune, 9 July 2017 See More
Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2021 The light, called backscatter, can be analyzed to find the frequency of wingbeats, which lets researchers determine the numbers and species of insects passing through. Susan Cosier, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2020 Meanwhile, backscatter instruments atop the ship scanned seafloor for any hard objects. Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 8 July 2018 The technique, called backscatter, has previously been used for low-data rate sensors, like those used for temperatures. Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2018 These companies exploit a property of the cables called 'backscatter' to track movement of the cables and record seismic events. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 20 Oct. 2017 Some of that light hits impurities in the glass walls of the cable and bounces back; this is the 'backscatter' referred to earlier. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 20 Oct. 2017 Most exciting applications Smith says the backscatter chips could be manufactured for less than a quarter apiece. NBC News, 29 Sep. 2017 The phone generates its own signal using backscatter, a technique already common in RFID—as in radio frequency identification—chips that encodes existing radio signals with new information and reflects them back to a receiver. David Z. Morris, Fortune, 9 July 2017 See More Word History
First Known Use
1936, in the meaning defined above