Light scattering from an isotropic layer between uniaxial crystals

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive model for light reflection and transmission through an isotropic layer between uniaxial crystals, explicitly accounting for arbitrary orientations and polarization directions, with practical application to ice crystal interfaces.

Contribution

The authors derive explicit formulas for wave reflection and transmission at anisotropic-isotropic interfaces, extending previous work and providing a general solution for multiple reflections in such systems.

Findings

Explicit expressions for reflection and transmission coefficients are obtained.

The model accommodates arbitrary orientations of uniaxial crystals.

Application demonstrated on ice crystal interface example.

Abstract

We develop a model for the reflection and transmission of plane waves by an isotropic layer sandwiched between two uniaxial crystals of arbitrary orientation. In the laboratory frame, reflection and transmission coefficients corresponding to the principal polarization directions in each crystal are given explicitly in terms of the c-axis and propagation directions. The solution is found by first deriving explicit expressions for reflection and transmission amplitude coefficients for waves propagating from an arbitrarily oriented uniaxial anisotropic material into an isotropic material. By combining these results with Lekner's (1991) earlier treatment of waves propagating from isotropic media to anisotropic media and employing a matrix method we determine a solution to the general form of the multiple reflection case. The example system of a wetted interface between two ice crystals is used to contextualize the results.