Capillary-scale interferometry at high angles of scattering for refractive index measurements of small volumes

Abstract

This paper focuses on the problem of elastic scattering of a collimated beam of light on an unmodified glass capillary to perform a non-destructive small volume refractive index characterization. An interaction between the beam of light and the capillary causes that a series of dark and bright fringes is formed in the far field observed at high angles of scattering. By analyzing the spatial profile of the scattered light, the absolute value of the refractive index of a small volume may be measured unambiguously.