On the Optical Properties of Interstellar Dust.
Abstract
Solid particles of less than 10 A in radius grown by random accretion from interstellar gas would be expected to be generally opaque and highly reflecting in the visible region and paramagnetic and quasimetallic, even if formed from light atoms, because their energy bands will, in general, be unfilled. Their ellipticity and optical anisotropy is estimated. It appears that interstellar reddening and polarization might be explainable by the quantum-mechanical optical and statistical properties of such tiny particles, with normal cosmic composition, provided that they have random geometrical and electronic structure.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 1956
- DOI:
- 10.1086/146184
- Bibcode:
- 1956ApJ...123..486P