Abstract
In this and the following chapter, we will discuss basic phenomena occurring when matter is exposed to light. While here we will be concerned with various actions of matter on light, the opposite effect will be discussed in Chap. 3. Matter can act on electromagnetic radiation in manifold ways. In Fig. 2.1, a typical situation is shown, where a light beam is incident on a slice of matter. In principle, three effects exist which may interfere with its undisturbed propagation:
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reflection and refraction,
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absorption,
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scattering.
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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Niemz, M.H. (2002). Light and Matter. In: Laser-Tissue Interactions. Biological and Medical Physics Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04717-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04717-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-04719-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04717-0
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