double refraction

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

$double refraction$ $Figure 19: Double refraction showing two rays emerging when a single light ray strikes a calcite crystal at right angles to one face (see text).$

Discover

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Fastest Animals on Earth

Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)

6 Important Mughal Emperors

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.

What is Holy Week?

Titanic infographic. The 30th anniversary of its discovery is September 1, 2015. SPOTLIGHT VERSION.

Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?

double refraction: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	birefringence

Photos

$double refraction$

$Figure 19: Double refraction showing two rays emerging when a single light ray strikes a calcite crystal at right angles to one face (see text).$

See All Images →

Topics

Pockels effect pleochroism photoelasticity extraordinary ray ordinary ray electro-optic phenomenon Kerr electro-optic effect trichroism dichroism Kerr cell reststrahlen Snell’s law symmetry polymorphism rainbow Brewster’s law crystal defect mirage refractive index Miller indices

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

radiation: Double refraction

Key People

Erasmus Bartholin

Danish physician and physicist