OPTICAL SATURATION IN LASER LIGHT SCATTERING

Possibilities of observing light scattering from an intense laser beam, whose electric field in well-defined conditions can cause total orientation of the scattering microsystems, are investigated on the basis of a simple classical theory. This saturation of orientation affects the scattered light and should be accessible to measurement in solutions of macromolecules or colloidal particles by usual laser technique, whereas in molecular liquids it cannot be made apparent even if using the focused beam of a strong laser. The measurements under consideration are proposed as a novel and simple method of determining the sign of the optical anisotropy of macromolecules and colloidal particles. © 1969 The American Institute of Physics.