{
  "abstract": "Transparent wood (TW) composites possess residual haze that limits image clarity despite their high light transmission, yet the physical origin of this scattering has not been established. Here, polarization-resolved measurements reveal a pronounced polarization dependence of scattering by a wood-polymer composite with improved refractive index matching. Polarization- and spectrally-resolved haze as low as 21% (40-45% at 550 nm for unpolarized light) with transmittance of approximately 92% for polarization perpendicular to the fibers was detected. It is found that the low-haze spectrum closely follows an inverse-square relation over the 400-800 nm range, well described by a weak-index-contrast Rayleigh-Gans-Debye (RGD) model invoking subwavelength birefringent heterogeneities within the cell wall. This physical mechanism was previously obscured by haze-limiting strong scattering from debonding gaps or refraction at the lumen-cell wall interface. Scanning electron diffraction independently reveals spatially distinct domains with markedly different cellulose diffraction responses within the infiltrated cell walls. The observed polarization-dependent refractive-index mismatch is attributed to inherent cellulose birefringence. Time-resolved measurements further support nearly scattering-free quasi-ballistic transport of the sampled transmitted light. It is demonstrated that selecting only a preferential polarization markedly improves image visibility through TW without further material modification. These findings connect polarization-dependent haze to the internal structure of transparent wood and identify ways to engineer a refractive-index match in hierarchical anisotropic composites towards glass-like clarity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.33459",
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Zheheng Song"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hui Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mathias Nero"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jingjian Zhou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ravi Shanker"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tom Willhammar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lars Berglund"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ilya Sychugov"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mh5rjj0tqrjf.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.33459",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4mh5rjj0tqrjf",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.33459",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.optics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Advanced Cellulose Research Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223955110",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.33459",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-24",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mh5rjj0tqrjf.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:35:35Z",
      "native_id": "2610.33459",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.33459"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.optics",
      "subfield": "optics-photonics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Polarization-resolved haze in transparent wood - towards wooden glass",
  "title_text": "Polarization-resolved haze in transparent wood - towards wooden glass",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:35Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4mh5rjj0tqrjf",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}