Mie theory for light scattering by a spherical particle in an absorbing medium

Analytic equations are developed for the single-scattering properties of a spherical particle embedded in an absorbing medium, which include absorption, scattering, extinction efficiencies, the scattering phase function, and the asymmetry factor. We derive absorption and scattering efficiencies by using the near field at the surface of the particle, which avoids difficulty in obtaining the extinction based on the optical theorem when the far field is used. Computational results demonstrate that an absorbing medium significantly affects the scattering of light by a sphere.     

Light scattering by a coated infinite cylinder in an absorbing medium

The scattering formulation for a coated infinite cylinder in an absorbing medium is presented in this paper. The cylinder is subjected to an arbitrarily polarized plane wave propagating in a general direction at the cylinder. The refractive index and magnetic permeability of the host medium, as well as those for the core and coating of the cylinder, can be real or complex. The scattering and extinction efficiencies and the scattering amplitudes are derived for both the near field and the far field. As the medium is absorbing, the "true" extinction and scattering efficiencies are derived based on the radiative energy outflow at the surface of the cylinder. The radiative efficiencies in the far field are denoted as "apparent" properties because they include absorption by the intervening medium. The influence of the refractive index and permeability of the host medium on the scattering properties of a coated cylinder is illustrated by numerical examples.     

Mie-scattering formalism for spherical particles embedded in an absorbing medium

Most of the Mie-scattering calculations have been done for a particle embedded in a nonabsorbing host medium. Generalization to an absorbing host medium can be achieved (a) by modifying the calculation of the spherical Bessel functions to account for a complex argument and (b) by accounting properly for the net rate of incident, scattered, and absorbed energy. We present an extended formalism of Mie scattering for the case of an absorbing host medium. Numerical calculations show that for a large spherical particle embedded in an absorbing host medium the extinction efficiency approaches 1 compared with 2 for a nonabsorbing host medium. We conjecture that this difference is due to the suppression of diffraction when the radius of the sphere is large.     

Light scattering by an infinite circular cylinder immersed in an absorbing medium

Analytic solutions are developed for the single-scattering properties of an infinite dielectric cylinder embedded in an absorbing medium with normal incidence, which include extinction, scattering and absorption efficiencies, the scattering phase function, and the asymmetry factor. The extinction and scattering efficiencies are derived by the near-field solutions at the surface of the particle. The normalized scattering phase function is obtained by use of the far-field approximation. Computational results show that, although the absorbing medium significantly reduces the scattering efficiency, it has little effect on absorption efficiency. The absorbing medium can significantly change the conventional phase function. The absorbing medium also strongly affects the polarization of the scattered light. However, for large absorbing particles the degrees of polarization change little with the medium's absorption. This implies that, if the transmitting lights are strongly weakened inside the particle, the scattered polarized lights can be used to identify objects even when the absorption property of the host medium is unknown, which is important for both active and passive remote sensing.     

Calculation of the single-scattering properties of randomly oriented hexagonal ice columns: a comparison of the T-matrix and the finite-difference time-domain methods

We calculated the scattering and absorption properties of randomly oriented hexagonal ice columns using T-matrix theory, employing analytic orientation averaging, and the finite-difference time-domain method, which uses a numerical procedure to simulate random orientation. The total optical properties calculated are the extinction efficiency, absorption efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and the asymmetry parameter. The optical properties are calculated at the wavelengths of 0.66, 8.5, and 12 mum, up to a size parameter of 20 at 0.66 mum and 15 at the two other wavelengths. The phase-matrix elements P11, P12, and P22 are also calculated and compared, up to a size parameter of 20 at 0.66 mum and 15 at 12.0 mum. The scattering and absorption solutions obtained from the two independent electromagnetic methods are compared and contrasted, as well as the central processing unit time and memory load for each size parameter. It is found that the total optical properties calculated by the two methods are well within 3% of each other for all three wavelengths and size parameters. In terms of the phase-matrix elements it is found that there are some differences between the T-matrix and the finite-difference time-domain methods appearing in all three elements. Differences between the two methods for the P11 element are seen particularly at scattering angles from approximately 120 degrees to 180 degrees ; and at the scattering angle of 180 degrees , relative differences are less than 16%. At scattering angles less than 100 degrees , agreement is generally within a few percent. Similar results are also found for the P12 and P22 elements of the phase matrix. The validity of approximating randomly oriented hexagonal ice columns by randomly oriented equal surface area circular cylinders is also investigated in terms of the linear depolarization ratio.     

Finite-difference time-domain solution of light scattering by an infinite dielectric column immersed in an absorbing medium

The two-dimensional (2-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to calculate light scattering and absorption by an arbitrarily shaped infinite column embedded in an absorbing dielectric medium. A uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) absorbing boundary condition is used to truncate the computational domain. The single-scattering properties of the infinite column embedded in the absorbing medium, including scattering phase functions and extinction and absorption efficiencies, are derived by use of an area integration of the internal field. An exact solution for light scattering and absorption by a circular cylinder in an absorbing medium is used to examine the accuracy of the 2-D UPML FDTD code. With use of a cell size of 1/120 incident wavelength in the FDTD calculations, the errors in the extinction and absorption efficiencies and asymmetry factors from the 2-D UPML FDTD are generally smaller than approximately 0.1%. The errors in the scattering phase functions are typically smaller than approximately 4%. With the 2-D UPML FDTD technique, light scattering and absorption by long noncircular columns embedded in absorbing media can be accurately solved.     

Examination of surface roughness on light scattering by long ice columns by use of a two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain algorithm

Natural particles such as ice crystals in cirrus clouds generally are not pristine but have additional microroughness on their surfaces. A two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) program with a perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition is developed to calculate the effect of surface roughness on light scattering by long ice columns. When we use a spatial cell size of 1/120 incident wavelength for ice circular cylinders with size parameters of 6 and 24 at wavelengths of 0.55 and 10.8 microm, respectively, the errors in the FDTD results in the extinction, scattering, and absorption efficiencies are smaller than approximately 0.5%. The errors in the FDTD results in the asymmetry factor are smaller than approximately 0.05%. The errors in the FDTD results in the phase-matrix elements are smaller than approximately 5%. By adding a pseudorandom change as great as 10% of the radius of a cylinder, we calculate the scattering properties of randomly oriented rough-surfaced ice columns. We conclude that, although the effect of small surface roughness on light scattering is negligible, the scattering phase-matrix elements change significantly for particles with large surface roughness. The roughness on the particle surface can make the conventional phase function smooth. The most significant effect of the surface roughness is the decay of polarization of the scattered light.     

Finite-difference time-domain solution of light scattering and absorption by particles in an absorbing medium

The three-dimensional (3-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique has been extended to simulate light scattering and absorption by nonspherical particles embedded in an absorbing dielectric medium. A uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) absorbing boundary condition is used to truncate the computational domain. When computing the single-scattering properties of a particle in an absorbing dielectric medium, we derive the single-scattering properties including scattering phase functions, extinction, and absorption efficiencies using a volume integration of the internal field. A Mie solution for light scattering and absorption by spherical particles in an absorbing medium is used to examine the accuracy of the 3-D UPML FDTD code. It is found that the errors in the extinction and absorption efficiencies from the 3-D UPML FDTD are less than approximately 2%. The errors in the scattering phase functions are typically less than approximately 5%. The errors in the asymmetry factors are less than approximately 0.1%. For light scattering by particles in free space, the accuracy of the 3-D UPML FDTD scheme is similar to a previous model [Appl. Opt. 38, 3141 (1999)].     

Scattering of elastic waves by an elastic sphere

The problem of scattering of plane compressional wave by an elastic sphere embedded in an isotropic elastic medium of different material properties is solved. Approximate formulas are derived for the displacement field, stress tensor, stess intensity factors, far-field amplitudes and the scattering cross section. It is assumed that the wave length is large compared to the radius of the scatterer. Various elastostatic limits are also presented.     

Scattering of elastic waves by an elastic sphere

The problem of scattering of plane compressional wave by an elastic sphere embedded in an isotropic elastic medium of different material properties is solved. Approximate formulas are derived for the displacement field, stress tensor, stress intensity factors, far-field amplitudes and the scattering cross-section. It is assumed that the wave length is large compared to the radius of the scatterer. Various elastostatic limits are also presented.     

Yet another look at light scattering from particles in absorbing media

We examine the scattering properties of particles contained in absorbing media. Rather than consider energy fluxes through arbitrary integrating spheres, we examine the extinction from its fundamental definition: the energy removed from the plane wave, or incident beam. The resulting energy received by a detector contains two terms: one the result of the incident beam traversing through the medium that would have occurred if the particle were not present, and a correction term due to the presence of the particle. Both terms have the same dependence on the pathlength that the beam travels between two arbitrarily located parallel planes and are independent of where the particle is located within the medium. The result is that the definition of the extinction cross section is not dependent on a reference plane or the particle location within the medium.     

Efficiency factors and radiation characteristics of spherical scatterers in an absorbing medium

The radiative properties of bubbles or particles embedded in an absorbing medium are investigated. We aim first to determine the conditions under which absorption by the surrounding medium must be accounted for in the calculation of the efficiency factors by comparing results from Mie theory and the far-field and near-field approximations. Then, we relate these approximations for a single particle to the effective radiation characteristics required for solving the radiative transfer in an ensemble of scatterers embedded in an absorbing medium. The results indicate that the efficiency factors for a spherical particle can differ significantly from one model to another, in particular for large particle size parameter and matrix absorption index. Moreover, the effective scattering coefficient should be expressed based on the far-field approximation. Also, the choice of the absorption efficiency factor depends on the model used for estimating the effective absorption coefficient. However, for small void fractions, absorption by the matrix dominates, and models for the absorption coefficient and efficiency factor are unimportant. Finally, for bubbles in water, the conventional Mie theory can be used between 0.2 and 200 mum except at some wavelengths at which absorption by water must be accounted for.     

Modeling radiation characteristics of semitransparent media containing bubbles or particles

Modeling of radiation characteristics of semitransparent media containing particles or bubbles in the independent scattering limit is examined. The existing radiative properties models of a single particle in an absorbing medium using the approaches based on (1) the classical Mie theory neglecting absorption by the matrix, (2) the far field approximation, and (3) the near field approximation are reviewed. Comparison between models and experimental measurements are carried out not only for the radiation characteristics but also for hemispherical transmittance and reflectance of porous fused quartz. Large differences are found among the three models predicting the bubble radiative properties when the matrix is strongly absorbing and/or the bubbles are optically large. However, these disagreements are masked by the matrix absorption during calculation of radiation characteristics of the participating medium. It is shown that all three approaches can be used for radiative transfer calculations in an absorbing matrix containing bubbles.     

Scattering of electromagnetic waves by a coated not perfectly conducting sphere

We consider the low-frequency scattering problem of a plane electromagnetic wave by a sphere, which is covered by a penetrable concentric spherical shell. The medium, occupying the shell, is lossless while on the surface of the core an impedance boundary condition is satisfied. The impedance boundary condition was introduced by Leontovich (Investigations of Radiowave Propagation. Part II, Academy of Science, Moscow, 1948) and it accounts for situations where the obstacle is not perfectly conducting but the exterior field will not penetrate deeply into the scatterer. For the near electromagnetic field we obtain the low-frequency coefficients of the zeroth and the first orders while in the far field we derive the leading non-vanishing terms for the scattering amplitude and the scattering cross-section. Spherical coated obstacles are very important in applications. Small particles in biological suspensions, cells, some human organs, atmospheric particles and granules within composite materials are only a few examples of applied interest in science and technology.     

炭包EPS空心导电球吸波机理讨论

本文提出一种颗粒吸波模型：空心球壳模型。以EPS为基体,在表面涂覆一层炭黑导电层做成试样,依据瑞利散射原理和球谐振腔原理对该模型的吸波机理进行了探讨,为该类吸波球体的实验研究提供了很好的理论基础。     

Orientation dependence in near-field scattering from TiO(2) particles

This scattering of light by small particles embedded in a continuous transparent medium is influenced not only by the bulk optical properties of the particles and the medium but also by the size, shape, and spatial arrangement of the particles-that is, by the microstructure. If the particles are close together, as in agglomerated coatings or stereolithographic suspensions, interactions between the radiation fields of adjacent particles can lead to variations in the magnitude and spatial arrangement of the scattered light in the near and the far field, which can affect the color and hiding power of a coating, the cure depth and homogeneity in stereolithography, and the threshold intensity for stimulated emission in random lasers. Our calculations of the near- and the far-field scattering distribution for 200-nm TiO(2) spheres in pairs of various orientations and in an ordered array of five particles show that, depending on the orientation of the particles with respect to the incident light, these interactions can either increase or decrease the scattering efficiency, the isotropy of the scattering, and the magnitude of the electric field strength within the matrix and the particles. In the mid-visible range, two particles in line increase the backscattering fraction by 28% and the scattering strength by 38% over that of a single particle, whereas if the particles are in the diagonal configuration the backscattering fraction and scattering strength are actually reduced by addition of the second particle. At shorter or longer wavelengths the backscattering fraction is reduced regardless of the location of the second particle, by as much as 60% when five particles are arranged in the zigzag configuration. These results are surprising in that it is generally assumed that multiple scattering enhances backscattering. Simple models of multiple scattering or scattering of two particles as a single, larger particle are inadequate to explain these results.     

A self-consistent approach to dynamic effective properties of a composite reinforced by distributed spherical particles

Summary A self-consistent approach to dynamic effective properties of a composite reinforced by randomly distributed spherical inclusions is studied. The coherent plane waves propagating through the particle-reinforced composite are of attenuation nature. It implies that there is an analogy between the particle-reinforced composite and the effective medium with complex-valued elastic constants from the viewpoints of wave propagation. A composite sphere consisting of the inclusion, the matrix and the interphase between them is assumed embedded in the effective medium. The effective wavenumbers of the coherent plane waves propagating through the particle-reinforced composite are obtained by the dynamic self-consistent conditions which require that the forward scattering amplitudes of such a composite sphere embedded in the effective medium are equal to zero. The dynamic effective properties (effective phase velocity, effective attenuation and effective elastic constants) obtained by the present dynamic self-consistent approach for SiC-Al composites are compared numerically with that obtained by the effective field approach at various volume concentrations. It is found that there is a good agreement between the two approaches at a relatively low frequency and low volume concentration but the numerical results deviate from each other at a relatively high frequency and high volume concentration.     

Nonlocal effective parameters of a coated sphere medium

An analytical theory has been developed to find the general effective parameters of a nonlocal medium. The medium is nonlocal due to presence of spatial dispersion. The proposed theory is based upon the dipolar scattering model of the inclusions comprising the medium. The bianisotropy stemming from the magnetoelectric coupling at the inclusion and lattice level has been discussed. The developed theory is then applied to a medium which consists of coated spheres with realistic materials. Effects of different values of wavevector upon the effective permittivity, effective permeability, and magnetoelectric coefficient stemming from lattice effects have been studied for a coated sphere medium. It is shown that a coated sphere medium with a weak spatial dispersion gives rise to a broader range of frequencies, where real parts of the effective permittivity and permeability are negative. On the other hand, this range of frequencies becomes smaller when the spatial dispersion of the medium is not weak.     

Light scattering by a coated sphere illuminated with a Gaussian beam

The intensity of light scattered by a coated sphere illuminated with an off-axis Gaussian beam is calculated. Results are shown for different beam positions with respect to the sphere. As the beam is shifted further away from the surface of the sphere, the higher-Q morphology-dependent resonances become increasingly important in the backscatter spectra, and the angular scattering intensity becomes smoother.

The scattered intensity depends on the beam position, the refractive indices of the core and coat, the radius of the core, and the thickness of the coat. As the beam is moved further away from the sphere, the effect of the core on the scattering intensity decreases. When the incident Gaussian beam is focused outside of a particle with a relatively small core, the scattering spectra and angular scattering patterns become similar to those of a homogeneous sphere having the refractive index of the coat. These calculated results suggest that measurements of spectral scattering and angular scattering patterns for several Gaussian beam positions could be useful for the characterization of coated spheres.

     

Mie scattering by a spherical particle in an absorbing medium

We show that the large-size parameter limit of the scattering efficiency of a spherical particle of relative refractive index m(r) embedded in an absorbing medium is equal to [m(r) - 1[2/]m(r) + 1]2 and not to zero as has been claimed in a recent article [J. Appl. Opt. 40, 1354-1361 (2001)].