The optical behaviour of polycrystalline solids

Abstract

The paper discusses the influence of the factors which determine the penetration of light into a polycrystalline solid, viz. the birefringence of the crystallites, their size and shape and their relative orientations. The results of the theoretical discussions are compared with the facts of observation. Five X-ray diagrams are also reproduced which exhibit the relation between the structure and optical behaviour of polycrystalline media in particular cases of interest.