Mie scattering
Mie scattering is the way that light scatters when it hits an object. It is named after the German physicist, Gustav Mie. This theory is good for all wavelengths of light, and all object sizes. If the object is much smaller than the wavelength of light, Rayleigh scattering theory is also quite good.
When the object is big, the light can hit many places on the object. A quite good formula for the scattering is:
- [math]\displaystyle{ Q = 2 - \frac{4}{p} \sin{p} + \frac{4}{p^2} (1-\cos{p}) }[/math]
Mie Scattering Media
Mie scattering as a function of particle's radius. Along one cycle, the particle diameter changes from 0.1 wavelength to 1 wavelength. The sphere's refractive index is 1.5
Mie scattering, artistic view (Under linearly polarized incident plane wave)
Effect of a dielectric sphere (technically a disk, as the simulation is in 2D) on an incident plane wave as a function of the radius.*The patterns you see flashing in are the Mie resonances. The incident plane wave is coming from the bottom.
Monostatic radar cross section (RCS) of a perfectly conducting metal sphere as a function of frequency (calculated by Mie theory). In the low-frequency Rayleigh scattering limit, where the circumference is less than the wavelength, the normalized RCS is σ/(πR2) ~ 9(kR)4. In the high-frequency optical limit σ/(πR2) ~ 1.
Angular part of magnetic and electric vector spherical harmonics. Red and green arrows show the direction of the field. Generating scalar functions are also presented, only the first three orders are shown (dipoles, quadrupoles, octupoles).
The change of sky colour at sunset (red nearest the sun, blue furthest away) is caused by Rayleigh scattering by atmospheric gas particles, which are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light. The grey/white colour of the clouds is caused by Mie scattering by water droplets, which are of a comparable size to the wavelengths of visible light.
Scattering of the plane wave, incidence direction is parallel to the z-axis, polarization is parallel to the x-axis, nanoparticle's radius is a
Multipole decomposition spectrum of scattering cross-section by gold nanosphere with radius 100 nm
Multipole decomposition spectrum of scattering cross-section by nanosphere with radius 100 nm and refractive index n=4
Multipole decomposition spectrum of scattering cross-section by silicon nanosphere with radius 100 nm
