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{{Short description|Property of an object or substance to transmit light with minimal scattering}}
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[[File:Dichroic filters.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dichroic filter]]s are created using optically transparent materials.]]
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* At the electronic level, absorption in the [[ultraviolet]] and visible (UV-Vis) portions of the spectrum depends on whether the [[Atomic orbital|electron orbitals]] are spaced (or "quantized") such that electrons can absorb a [[quantum]] of light (or [[photon]]) of a specific [[frequency]]. For example, in most glasses, electrons have no available energy levels above them in the range of that associated with visible light, or if they do, the transition to them would violate [[selection rules]], meaning there is no appreciable absorption in pure (undoped) glasses, making them ideal transparent materials for windows in buildings.
* At the atomic or molecular level, physical absorption in the infrared portion of the spectrum depends on the [[frequencies]] of atomic or [[molecular vibrations]] or [[chemical bonds]], and on [[selection rule]]s. Nitrogen and oxygen are not greenhouse gases because there is no [[molecular dipole moment]].
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With regard to the [[light scattering in liquids and solids|scattering of light]], the most critical factor is the length scale of any or all of these structural features relative to the wavelength of the light being scattered. Primary material considerations include:
* Crystalline structure: whether the atoms or molecules exhibit the 'long-range order' evidenced in crystalline solids.
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