Light scattering by particles

Light scattering by particles is the process by which small particles (e.g. ice crystals, dust, atmospheric particulates, cosmic dust, and blood cells) scatter light causing optical phenomena such as the blue color of the sky, and halos.

Maxwell's equations are the basis of theoretical and computational methods describing light scattering, but since exact solutions to Maxwell's equations are only known for selected particle geometries (such as spherical), light scattering by particles is a branch of computational electromagnetics dealing with electromagnetic radiation scattering and absorption by particles.

In case of geometries for which analytical solutions are known (such as spheres, cluster of spheres, infinite cylinders), the solutions are typically calculated in terms of infinite series. In case of more complex geometries and for inhomogeneous particles the original Maxwell's equations are discretized and solved. Multiple-scattering effects of light scattering by particles are treated by radiative transfer techniques (see, e.g. atmospheric radiative transfer codes).

The relative size of a scattering particle is defined by its size parameter x, which is the ratio of its characteristic dimension to its wavelength:

${\displaystyle x={\frac {2\pi r}{\lambda }}.}$