Rayleigh scattering and flow birefringence measurement in colloidal solutions
Résumé
A unique method for measuring the birefringence intensity of colloidal solutions which become anisotropic under the action of orienting flow is described. When a laser beam crosses a liquid-containing asymmetrical particle orientated by the flow, the scattered intensity in a direction perpendicular to the wave vector of the incident light shows nodes and antinodes. The distance between two antinodes is related to the phase difference between the eigenpolarizations of the medium and thus to the birefringence of the medium.
