Summary
The effects exhibited by a Christiansen filter can only be explained or understood in terms of wave-optics. A theoretical formula is derived in the paper for the distribution of intensity in the spectrum of the transmitted light, the variables involved being the wave-length of the light, the average size of the particles of the powder, the thickness of the cell and the difference in the refractive indices of the powder and the liquid for the wave-length under consideration. The characters of the halo observed around the light source are also discussed in terms of diffraction theory. The theory explains the facts of observation in a very simple manner and gives results in satisfactory accord with the available experimental data.
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Raman, C.V. The theory of the Christiansen experiment. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Math. Sci.) 29, 381–390 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03036872
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03036872