Elastic constants of crystals from light scattering measurements

Abstract

Details of the methods of evaluating the elastic constants of any crystal from the observed frequency shifts of the Brillouin components arising from the thermal scattering of light have been indicated. From the measurements of the frequency shifts of the Brillouin components recorded using ultraviolet excitation in the case of four cubic crystals and four birefringent crystals, the effective elastic constants have been evaluated and have been compared with the values calculated using the elastic constants determined by other methods. The agreement is found to be very satisfactory. Thus light scattering in crystals affords yet another method of determining the elastic constants.