| Abstract: | Radial, tangential and cross cuts of Eastern spruce are examined by a solid-state light-scattering method which allows study of light scattering due to fluctuations in density and fluctuations in anisotropy. All of the samples investigated show well-defined scattering maxima which are related to their anisotropic texture with limited contributions from random density fluctuations. The radial cuts give rise to scattering similar to that by a grating with orthogonal characteristic spacings. The gratinglike character is due mainly to the pit structure and their periodic spacings, which can be deduced from the “unit-cell” dimensions of the scattering pattern. The scattered intensity is maximum when the fiber direction is at 45° to the polarization direction; when it is either horizontal or vertical, a distinct “spherulitic” scattering is observed from which size and asymmetry of the pits can be deduced. |
