Abstract

A novel effect in the scattering of white light from bubbles consists of colored bands that appear near the critical scattering angle. The bands were photographed in the far-zone scattering from a cylindrical bubble in glass. Their existence is associated with the coarse structure present in the exact scattered intensity. A digital Butterworth filter was developed to remove (from computed intensities) fine structures that are lost when the optical bandwidth is large. The colors are found to be due to the combined effects of interference and diffraction (near the critical scattering angle) and dispersion of the refractive index. Coarse structures were previously modeled in the monochromatic scattering from spherical air bubbles in water. Colors are also to be expected in the appearance of clouds of bubbles in water. Such colors were reported [C. Pulfrich, Ann. Phys. Chem. (Leipzig) 33, 209 (1888)]. Some implications for the optical measurement of bubble size and surface quality are noted.

© 1983 Optical Society of America

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Author Affiliations

B. L. Brim

Department of Electrical Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164. Present address, Department of Electrical Engineering,

P. L. Marston

Department of Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164

S. P. Love

Department of Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164. Present address, Department of Physics, Cornell University,

J. L. Johnson

Department of Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164. Present address, Shell Oil Company, P.O. Box 20329,

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