Precision Measurement of Particulates by Light Scattering at Optical Resonance

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Abstract
The efficiency of light scattering from individual aerosol spheres is markedly enhanced for certain combinations of the particle size and refractive index with the incident wavelength. Differential scattering patterns observed at these "optical resonances" are so sensitive to particle characteristics that relative optical diameters of an approximately 3-micrometer sphere can be determined to within about 2 angstroms (0.007 percent). Such resonances for 1- to 30-micrometer spheres, cylinders, and regular nonspherical particles should be generally accessible with tunable lasers.