Which light phenomenon occurs due to the interaction of light with particles in a medium?

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Dispersion occurs when light interacts with particles in a medium, leading to the separation of light into its constituent colors. This phenomenon is most commonly observed when white light passes through a prism or when light travels through a medium with varying refractive indices, such as water or glass, causing different wavelengths of light to bend at different angles. As a result, this separation manifests in a spectrum, typically revealing a range of colors from violet to red.

While reflection and refraction also involve the interaction of light with materials, they do not specifically describe the separation of light into multiple wavelengths. Reflection involves light bouncing off a surface, and refraction refers to the change in direction of light as it passes from one medium to another but retains the same overall color. Diffraction, on the other hand, deals with the bending of light around obstacles or the spreading of light waves when passing through narrow openings, rather than separating it into different colors based on wavelength. Thus, dispersion is uniquely characterized by the creation of a spectrum due to light interacting with particles in a medium.