Physics SeminarOctober 15, 2013 at 7:30–8:30 p.m.

Dr. Joseph Shaw, Montana State University, will present a seminar entitled Color and Polarization in the atmosphere: a tribute to Lord Rayleigh on Tuesday, October 15th at 7:30 p.m. in Olin 220.

Lord Rayleigh is well known for his explanation of the blue color of the clear sky. In tribute to his contributions to atmospheric optics, this talk reviews the life of John William Strutt (3rd Baron Rayleigh), known to us as "Lord Rayleigh," and shows that Rayleigh scattering explains the color of the sky in both sunlight and moonlight. We also learn about the blue-sky Rayleigh's son, Robert Strutt (4th Baron Rayleigh), who explained how the night sky can appear green. Into this historical and photographic narrative will be woven threads of my own research involving atmospheric scattering, all-sky polarization imaging, and optical measurements of the Aurora Borealis. The talk incorporates many photographs that illustrate both the science and beauty of atmospheric optical phenomena at a level that is enjoyable by optics experts and non-experts alike.