Back علم البصريات البلورية Arabic Крышталяоптыка Byelorussian Kristalloptik German Optique cristalline French Բյուրեղաօպտիկա Armenian 結晶光学 Japanese Кристаллооптика Kazakh Kristalloptik NDS Kristaloptiek Dutch Krystalloptikk NN
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Crystal optics is the branch of optics that describes the behaviour of light in anisotropic media, that is, media (such as crystals) in which light behaves differently depending on which direction the light is propagating. The index of refraction depends on both composition and crystal structure and can be calculated using the Gladstone–Dale relation. Crystals are often naturally anisotropic, and in some media (such as liquid crystals) it is possible to induce anisotropy by applying an external electric field.