Scattering by an Inhomogeneous Solid

A general treatment of the scattering of radiation by an inhomogeneous material is developed. It is shown how scattering measurements can be used to obtain the average square of the fluctuations in refractive index or electron density and a correlation function which measures the degree of correlation between two fluctuations as a function of their distance of separation. The scattering of visible light by Lucite and two glass samples has been investigated. The data are analyzed in terms of the quantities mentioned above. It is found that the extensions in space of the inhomogeneities in the Lucite sample are much greater than those in the optical glass samples investigated. The magnitudes of the fluctuations in refractive index are found to be dependent on the composition of the sample.