Mie theory, airy theory, and the natural rainbow.

@article{Lee1998MieTA,
  title={Mie theory, airy theory, and the natural rainbow.},
  author={R L Lee},
  journal={Applied optics},
  year={1998},
  volume={37 9},
  pages={
          1506-19
        }
}
  • R. L. Lee
  • Published 20 March 1998
  • Physics
  • Applied optics
Compared with Mie scattering theory, Airy rainbow theory clearly miscalculates some monochromatic details of scattering by small water drops. Yet when monodisperse Airy theory is measured by perceptual (rather than purely physical) standards such as chromaticity and luminance contrast, it differs very little from Mie theory. Considering only the angular positions of luminance extrema, Airy theory's errors are largest for small droplets such as those that dominate cloudbows and fogbows. However… 
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63 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
1
Background Citations
14
Methods Citations
3
Results Citations
1

63 Citations

Simulation of rainbows, coronas and glories using Mie theory and the Debye series

Simulation of rainbows, coronas, and glories by use of Mie theory.

Mie theory can be used on modern personal computers to produce full-color simulations of atmospheric optical effects, such as rainbows, coronas, and glories, and comparison of such simulations with observations of natural glories and cloudbows is encouraging.

Visibility of natural tertiary rainbows.

To analyze the natural tertiary's visibility, Lorenz-Mie theory, the Debye series, and a modified geometrical optics model are used to calculate the tertiaries' chromaticity gamuts, luminance contrasts, and color contrasts as seen against dark cloud backgrounds.

Rainbow refractrometry: On the validity domain of Airy¿s and Nussenzveig¿s theories

Physically-based simulation of rainbows

A physically-based model is derived that matches Lorenz-Mie theory for spherical particles, but it also enables the accurate simulation of nonspherical particles, which can simulate many different rainbow phenomena including double rainbows and supernumerary bows.

Global rainbow thermometry assessed by Airy and Lorenz-Mie theories and compared with phase Doppler anemometry.

The domain of validity of the Airy theory for this technique is established through comparison with Lorenz-Mie theory, and the temperature derivation from the inflection points of theAiry rainbow pattern appears to be independent of the type of spray dispersion.

Physically Based Rendering of Rainbows under Various Atmospheric Conditions

A method for rendering rainbows taking into account wave optics and spectral distribution of light based on physical laws is proposed to render the visual variations of rainbows and supernumerary rainbows.

Photodetachment and photoionization rainbows and glories

Quantum scattering has many similarities with the physics of the atmospheric rainbow. Diffraction effects, including rainbows and glories, have long been introduced in the physics of scattering, and…

Particle systems characterization by inversion of critical light scattering patterns

This Ph. D. Work deals with the scattering of light by a cloud of bubbles (i. E. Particles with relative refractive index below unit) near the critical-scattering-angle. Under a single scattering…

Re-visiting the atmospheric corona.

This paper uses Mie theory simulations to demonstrate that the inner 3 red rings of the corona have angular radii of θ≈16/r, 31/R, and 47/ r, when θ is measured in degrees and r is measuring in μm.
...

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