प्रकीर्णन (Scattering) एक सामान्य भौतिक प्रक्रिया है जिसमें कोई विकिरण माध्यम के किसी स्थानीय अनियमितता के कारण अपने सरलरेखीय मार्ग से विचलित किया जाता है। कणों का भी प्रकीर्णन होता है। आकाश का नीला रंग एवं सूर्योदय व सूर्यास्त के सूर्य की लालिमा प्रकीर्णन के कारण ही होती हैं ।

Scattering is a term used in physics to describe a wide range of physical processes where moving particles or radiation of some form, such as light or sound, are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by localized non-uniformities in the medium through which they pass. In conventional use, this also includes deviation of reflected radiation from the angle predicted by the law of reflection. Reflections of radiation that undergo scattering are often called diffuse reflections and unscattered reflections are called specular (mirror-like) reflections. Originally, the term was confined to light scattering. As more "ray"-like phenomena were discovered, the idea of scattering was extended to them, so that William Herschel could refer to the scattering of "heat rays" in 1800. John Tyndall, a pioneer in light scattering research, noted the connection between light scattering and acoustic scattering in the 1870s. Near the end of the 19th century, the scattering of cathode rays and X-rays was observed and discussed. With the discovery of subatomic particles and the development of quantum theory in the 20th century, the sense of the term became broader as it was recognized that the same mathematical frameworks used in light scattering could be applied to many other phenomena.