Does anyone know how to use Mie's scattering to determine the best particle size to produce light scattering in the visual range of light wavelength. Are there any publications in this area? My interest is in glass opacification, but many publications give more attention to the contribution of the refraction index than the particle size in the opacification of a glass material by scattering of light.
There is a simple algebraic formula relating turbidity to optical properties. You do not need Mie theory. It is given in van de Hulst "Light scattering from small particles" (a nice cheap reprint from Dover Press). More easily accessible are any of the Mie calculators avaiable on the Internet, say Miecalc, these will give the exact result.
Dear Rafael,
I agree with Alan. Use the turbidity formula found in van de Hulst's book or elsewhere and the scattering cross sections you calculate as a function of size, relative refractive indices and wavelength. If you are small and transparent you may use Rayleigh's formula, otherwise go Mie.
Like Alan suggests, I have found Laven's MieCalc to be accurate in several of the limits I have used it in, so it is a good shareware starting point for Mie calculations.
Best regards,
Mike Bender
Thank you very much Mr. Alan and Mr. Mike. Your answers helped me a lot.
Sincerely,
Rafael Matos
Can you please in which page and chapter I can find that formula in the book van de Hulst "Light scattering from small particles" .
Philip Laven's MiePlot allows you to do this directly and, IMHO, is the best tool of its type available for free. There is the Weber approximation too. See for example:
The life of Gustav Mie and the development of the Lorenz-Mie solution to Maxwell’s equations
https://www.malvernpanalytical.com/en/learn/events-and-training/webinars/W140225Gustav-mie-maxwell.html
I should have given a reference to where to find the formula in Van de Hulst. It's on p176 of my Dover edition. The first equation in section 11.22.
Rafael Costa de Matos Alan Parker
Nice to be able to add something a few years after. I've pulled a couple of my slides from old webinars where the optimum position of the maximum in the Mie scattering formula(e) can be calculated. An excellent chapter by Hodkinson in Norm Davis' (Editor) Aerosol Science (1966) and the Weber formula/estimation used in paints and coatings.
More information in:
The life of Gustav Mie and the development of the Lorenz-Mie solution to Maxwell’s equations
https://www.malvernpanalytical.com/en/learn/events-and-training/webinars/W140225Gustav-mie-maxwell.html
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