Mie scattering

Mie scattering is elastic scattered light of particles that have a diameter similar to or larger than the wavelength of the incident light. The Mie signal is proportional to the square of the particle diameter.

Mie scattering is much stronger than Rayleigh scattering and, therefore, a potential source of interference for this weaker light scattering process. There is a strong angular dependency of the scattered intensity especially for smaller particles which has to be considered for successful Mie imaging experiments. Mie scattering is often used to measure flow velocities applying Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).