Optical properties
The optical properties of a material define how it interacts with light. The optical properties of matter are studied in optical physics, a subfield of optics. The optical properties of matter include:
- Refraction and the material's refraction index
- Polarization
- Reflection and the material's albedo or reflectance
- Absorption
- Photoluminescence
- Transmittance
- Diffraction
- Dispersion
- Dichroism
- Scattering
- Birefringence
- Color
- Photosensitivity
A basic distinction is between isotropic materials, which exhibit the same properties regardless of the direction of the light, and anisotropic ones, which exhibit different properties when light passes through them in different directions.
The optical properties of matter can lead to a variety of interesting optical phenomena.
