Property of a mineralInorganic substance that is (1) naturally occurring (but does not have a biologic or man-made origin) and formed by physical (not biological) forces with a (2) defined chemical composition of limited variation, has a (3) distinctive set of of physical properties including being a solid, and has a (4) homogeneous if a ray of light passing through it experiences two refractive indices. The effect is to change the polarization state of the transmitted light. The extent of the change depends on the material and the thickness of the specimen. Birefringence can be induced in some materials by the presence of an applied or residual stress.
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