On lamellar organization in certain polyethylene spherulites

Abstract

The differential scattering of right and left circularly polarized light is a manifestation of optical activity. Both naturally optically active systems and fluids in a magnetic field parallel to the direction of propagation exhibit differential scattering. Although there is no electric analogue of Faraday's effect, a static electric field applied to a fluid perpendicular to the direction of propagation induces a difference in the scattered intensities of right and left circularly polarized light. The difference is linear in the field strength. It is determined by the effect of the field on the polarizabilities producing optical activity and is present in all matter, including monatomic gases. The classical theory of the scattering of electromagnetic waves is used in a formulation of the general theory of light scattering in an electric field. Results are given for some particular symmetries, including spherical, tetrahedral and dipolar molecules, and estimates of the magnitude of the effect are made.