Computation of Light Scattering by Anisotropic Spheres of Rutile Titania

Rutile titania is the most widely used white pigment in the worldwide marketplace for coatings, plastics, and paper. A fundamental goal, both of consumers and manufacturers, is to maximize the light scattering efficiency of the pigment. This requires identifying and subsequently controlling the factors that affect the light scattering. In the study described here, a finite element method that produces rigorous full-field solutions to Maxwell's equations is applied to the problem of light scattering by anisotropic spheres of rutile titania.