For this assignment, I used the same Cornell box as my test scene, but used a Rayleigh phase function. The results are quite different from what I had originally expected.
Rayleigh scattering models the scattering of light through a medium where particles are smaller than a wavelength of light. The Rayleigh phase function is largely determined by the wavelength of light. Because of this, blue light is much more likely to scatter than red light.
The phase function is described as:
For this reason, I expected my scene to glow blue, but it did not. The reason is largely due to the emitter, which happens to emit very few blue photons. Instead, the medium actually makes the scene darker.
Original Cornell Scene
Scene with Rayleigh Scattering
Here is a modified Cornell Box scene, which uses a white light source, instead of a yellow emitter:
