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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

electromagnetic properties, water, protein, photon

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

Light scattering is a means of detecting certain chemical properties of a sample of material. As a photon (light packet) encounters any material, there is some probability that the photon will be absorbed. The energy from an absorbed photon will either work to heat the sample or be reemitted. When re-emitted, a photon will not necessarily travel in the same direction or with the same phase in which it encountered the material. Also, the amount of energy re-emitted via scattering is dependent on the incident light wavelength and properties of the material, which, for example, is why the sky looks blue. Light scattering of materials can be easily measured by placing detectors at angles from a single light source. For the sake of this research project, light scattering at 1300 nanometers and 1550 nanometers (common optic fiber transmission frequencies) will be measured for various biological substances, e.g. proteins and DNA.

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