ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes classical electromagnetic wave propagation in an anisotropic dielectric material. It briefly discusses propagation of a plane electromagnetic wave in an extended homogeneous anisotropic dielectric medium. The chapter overviews physically relevant cases in which optical anisotropy occurs. It deals with form birefringence. The chapter outlines a few aspects of high birefringence in polarimetric optical fibers and sensors. It discusses, rather qualitatively, some aspects of biological waveguides (in the eye) as well as form birefringence in and light scattering by them. The chapter presents a rather general treatment for the scattering of classical electromagnetic radiation by arbitrary three-dimensional optically anisotropic objects. It also deals with scattering by parallel cylindrical dielectric waveguides. The chapter also summarizes recent work on the scattering of light by parallel dielectric waveguides, in which the anisotropy has been generated by the photo-elastic effect.
