A NEW SET-UP FOR MEASURING ANGLE-RESOLVED POLARIZED-LIGHT SCATTERING

A new simple and compact set-up for measuring polarized light scattering as a function of the scattering angle theta is described. The set-up does not require the detector to be rotated to scan theta . The scattering angle can be continuously changed by rotating the incident laser beam direction by means of mirrors mounted on a rotating arm. A fixed incident polarization (either vertical or horizontal) is achieved by simultaneously rotating a half-wave quartz retardation plate by theta /2. As an example, light scattering measured from a colloidal suspension having a liquid-like order is presented.