Mie scattering

Mie scattering is the scattering of electromagnetic waves by spheres whose sizes are comparable to or larger than their wavelength. It accounts for effects such as the white appearance of clouds and haze.

Lorenz–Mie theory: An exact solution of Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetic scattering by a homogeneous sphere. It provides the mathematical framework used to calculate Mie scattering.
Cloud optics: The study of how clouds interact with radiation through reflection, transmission, absorption, and scattering. Droplets scatter visible wavelengths efficiently, helping clouds appear white.
Rayleigh scattering: Scattering by particles much smaller than the wavelength, with intensity strongly weighted toward shorter wavelengths. It is the small-particle limit that Mie scattering extends beyond.
Maxwell's equations: The classical field equations governing electric and magnetic fields and their sources. Lorenz–Mie theory solves these equations for a sphere illuminated by a wave.
Gustav Mie: A German physicist who published a solution for light scattering by homogeneous spheres in 1908. His 1908 analysis gave the phenomenon its enduring name.
Mie coefficients: Dimensionless coefficients describing the electric and magnetic multipole contributions to scattering by a sphere. They encode the sphere’s size and optical properties in the scattering solution.
Aerosol optical depth: A measure of the extinction of light by aerosols along a vertical atmospheric column. Mie-based particle models help infer aerosol loading from measured light extinction.
Geometric optics: An approximation that treats light as rays and neglects wave effects. It becomes useful for particles far larger than the wavelength, beyond simple wavelength-scale behavior.
Electromagnetic wave: A propagating disturbance of coupled electric and magnetic fields. Mie scattering describes how such waves interact with particles.
Ludvig Lorenz: A Danish physicist who developed an earlier spherical-wave treatment of light scattering. His work anticipated mathematical elements later associated with Mie theory.

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