Photomodulated rayleigh scattering of single semiconductor nanowires: probing electronic band structure

The internal electronic structures of single semiconductor nanowires can be resolved using photomodulated Rayleigh scattering spectroscopy. The Rayleigh scattering from semiconductor nanowires is strongly polarization sensitive which allows a nearly background-free method for detecting only the light that is scattered from a single nanowire. While the Rayleigh scattering efficiency from a semiconductor nanowire depends on the dielectric contrast, it is relatively featureless as a function of energy. However, if the nanowire is photomodulated using a second pump laser beam, the internal electronic structure can be resolved with extremely high signal-to-noise and spectral resolution. The photomodulated Rayleigh scattering spectra can be understood theoretically as a first derivative of the scattering efficiency that results from a modulation of the band gap and depends sensitively on the nanowire diameter. Fits to spectral lineshapes provide both the band structure and the diameter of individual GaAs and InP nanowires under investigation.     

A newly designed high-spectral-resolution Rayleigh temperature lidar based on two-stage Fabry–Perot interferometer

A two-stage Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI)-based high-spectral-resolution (HSR) Rayleigh temperature lidar technology is proposed that is capable of simultaneously detecting tropospheric temperature and aerosol optical properties with high-precision. The system structure is designed and the measurement principle is analysed. A two-channel integrated FPI used forming a two-stage FPI ensures the relative stability of the two FPI spectrums. The first-stage FPI with high spectral resolution can effectively separate Mie and Rayleigh signals to derive the signal components. Two adjacent-order transmission spectrums of the second-stage FPI are just located in the two wings of Rayleigh–Brillouin (R–B) scattering spectrum to measure temperature. Two multimode polarization insensitive optical circulators used in receiver system can achieve high-efficiency utilization of signals. A narrow linewidth semiconductor laser at 852 nm is used as light source. Using the selected and optimized system parameters, the lidar performance simulation results show that in the sunny weather conditions for 0.15WSr^–1 m^–2 nm^–1 sky brightness, with 0.3 W laser power, a 30 cm diameter telescope, 60 m range resolution and 30 min observation time, the temperature measurement errors are below 0.4 K in night-time and below 1.6 K in daytime; the relative measurement errors of backscatter ratio are below 0.04% in night-time and below 0.13% in daytime respectively up to 6 km height. Compared with the traditional FPI-based HSR technique, the technique we proposed can improve the detection accuracy of temperature by 2.5 times and can also significantly improve the detection accuracy of backscatter ratio.     

Retrieval of the scattering and microphysical properties of aerosols from ground-based optical measurements including polarization. I. Method

A method has been developed for retrieving the scattering and microphysical properties of atmospheric aerosol from measurements of solar transmission, aureole, and angular distribution of the scattered and polarized sky light in the solar principal plane. Numerical simulations of measurements have been used to investigate the feasibility of the method and to test the algorithm's performance. It is shown that the absorption and scattering properties of an aerosol, i.e., the single-scattering albedo, the phase function, and the polarization for single scattering of incident unpolarized light, can be obtained by use of radiative transfer calculations to correct the values of scattered radiance and polarized radiance for multiple scattering, Rayleigh scattering, and the influence of ground. The method requires only measurement of the aerosol's optical thickness and an estimate of the ground's reflectance and does not need any specific assumption about properties of the aerosol. The accuracy of the retrieved phase function and polarization of the aerosols is examined at near-infrared wavelengths (e.g., 0.870 mum). The aerosol's microphysical properties (size distribution and complex refractive index) are derived in a second step. The real part of the refractive index is a strong function of the polarization, whereas the imaginary part is strongly dependent on the sky's radiance and the retrieved single-scattering albedo. It is demonstrated that inclusion of polarization data yields the real part of the refractive index.     

How well does the Rayleigh model describe the E-vector distribution of skylight in clear and cloudy conditions? A full-sky polarimetric study

We present the first high-resolution maps of Rayleigh behavior in clear and cloudy sky conditions measured by full-sky imaging polarimetry at the wavelengths of 650 nm (red), 550 nm (green), and 450 nm (blue) versus the solar elevation angle thetas. Our maps display those celestial areas at which the deviation deltaalpha = /alphameas - alphaRyleigh/ is below the threshold alphathres = 5 degrees, where alphameas is the angle of polarization of skylight measured by full-sky imaging polarimetry, and alphaRayleigh is the celestial angle of polarization calculated on the basis of the single-scattering Rayleigh model. From these maps we derived the proportion r of the full sky for which the single-scattering Rayleigh model describes well (with an accuracy of deltaalpha = 5 degrees) the E-vector alignment of skylight. Depending on thetas, r is high for clear skies, especially for low solar elevations (40% < r < 70% for thetas < or = 13 degrees). Depending on the cloud cover and the solar illumination, r decreases more or less under cloudy conditions, but sometimes its value remains remarkably high, especially at low solar elevations (rmax = 69% for thetas = 0 degrees). The proportion r of the sky that follows the Rayleigh model is usually higher for shorter wavelengths under clear as well as cloudy sky conditions. This partly explains why the shorter wavelengths are generally preferred by animals navigating by means of the celestial polarization. We found that the celestial E-vector pattern generally follows the Rayleigh pattern well, which is a fundamental hypothesis in the studies of animal orientation and human navigation (e.g., in aircraft flying near the geomagnetic poles and using a polarization sky compass) with the use of the celestial alpha pattern.     

Remote-sensing technique for determination of the volume absorption coefficient of turbid water

We use remote-sensing reflectance from particulate R(rs) to determine the volume absorption coefficient a of turbid water in the 400 < lambda < 700-nm spectral region. The calculated and measured values of a(lambda) show good agreement for 0.5 < a < 10 (m(-1)). To determine R(rs) from a particulate, we needed to make corrections for remote-sensing reflectance owing to surface roughness S(rs). We determined the average spectral distribution of S(rs) from the difference in total remote-sensing reflectance measured with and without polarization. The spectral shape of S(rs) showed an excellent fit to theoretical formulas for glare based on Rayleigh and aerosol scattering from the atmosphere.     

Improving visibility depth in passive underwater imaging by use of polarization

Results are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of using polarization discrimination to improve visibility when imaging in a scattering medium. The study is motivated by the desire to improve visibility depth in turbid environments, such as the sea. Most previous research in this area has concentrated on the active illumination of objects with polarized light. We consider passive or ambient illumination, such as that deriving from sunlight or a cloudy sky. The basis for the improvements in visibility observed is that single scattering by small particles introduces a significant amount of polarization into light at scattering angles near 90 degrees: This light can then be distinguished from light scattered by an object that remains almost completely unpolarized. Results were obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation and from a small-scale experiment in which an object was immersed in a cell filled with polystyrene latex spheres suspended in water. In both cases, the results showed an improvement in contrast and visibility depth for obscuration that was due to Rayleigh particles, but less improvement was obtained for larger scatterers.     

Spectral structure of laser light scattering revisited: bandwidths of nonresonant scattering lidars

It is well known that scattering lidars, i.e., Mie, aerosol-wind, Rayleigh, high-spectral-resolution, molecular-wind, rotational Raman, and vibrational Raman lidars, are workhorses for probing atmospheric properties, including the backscatter ratio, aerosol extinction coefficient, temperature, pressure, density, and winds. The spectral structure of molecular scattering (strength and bandwidth) and its constituent spectra associated with Rayleigh and vibrational Raman scattering are reviewed. Revisiting the correct name by distinguishing Cabannes scattering from Rayleigh scattering, and sharpening the definition of each scattering component in the Rayleigh scattering spectrum, the review allows a systematic, logical, and useful comparison in strength and bandwidth between each scattering component and in receiver bandwidths (for both nighttime and daytime operation) between the various scattering lidars for atmospheric sensing.     

Statistical characterization of diffuse scattering in ultrasound images

The marginal statistics for the diffused ultrasound speckle echo has been postulated as exhibiting circularly symmetric Gaussian behavior similar to the laser speckle for monochromatic illumination under the assumption of a large number of unresolvable scatterers per resolution cell. This is known in the literature as the Rayleigh scattering condition. This paper presents a formal statistical test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric goodness of fit statistical test, to test the hypothesis that the unresolvable part (diffuse part) of the backscatter echo follows a Rayleigh scattering condition, and obtain numerical values for the scatterer concentration required for the Rayleigh condition to be valid. In addition, it presents a formal statistical test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric homogeneity statistical test, to compare two regions of interest with different scattering concentrations without prior knowledge of the nature of the scattering conditions (Rayleigh or non-Rayleigh scattering). Unlike all previous parametric testing methods that treat the A-scan or B-scan echo as a random sample, the authors' method presents formal tests based on the colored nature of the diffuse backscattered echo which is a more realistic model of the diffuse scattering component. The tests are demonstrated on simulations of RF scans with different scatterer concentrations per resolution cell as well as on phantom data which mimic tissue.     

Measurement of the lidar ratio for atmospheric aerosols with a 180 degrees backscatter nephelometer

Laser radar (lidar) can be used to estimate atmospheric extinction coefficients that are due to aerosols if the ratio between optical extinction and 180 degrees backscatter (the lidar ratio) at the laser wavelength is known or if Raman or high spectral resolution data are available. Most lidar instruments, however, do not have Raman or high spectral resolution capability, which makes knowledge of the lidar ratio essential. We have modified an integrating nephelometer, which measures the scattering component of light extinction, by addition of a backward-pointing laser light source such that the detected light corresponds to integrated scattering over 176-178 degrees at a common lidar wavelength of 532 nm. Mie calculations indicate that the detected quantity is an excellent proxy for 180 degrees backscatter. When combined with existing techniques for measuring total scattering and absorption by particles, the new device permits a direct determination of the lidar ratio. A four-point calibration, run by filling the enclosed sample volume with particle-free gases of a known scattering coefficient, indicates a linear response and calibration reproducibility to within 4%. The instrument has a detection limit of 1.5 x 10(-7) m(-1) sr(-1) (~10% of Rayleigh scattering by air at STP) for a 5-min average and is suitable for ground and mobile/airborne surveys. Initial field measurements yielded a lidar ratio of ~20 for marine aerosols and ~60-70 for continental aerosols, with an uncertainty of ~20%.     

Light polarization under water near sunrise

Dramatic and rapid changes in the intensity and spectrum of light under water at dusk and dawn are well known, but reports regarding the light's polarization at these periods are sparse. Using a rapid spectropolarimeter, we examined the spatial and spectral characteristics of the underwater polarization patterns from sunrise to midday and compared them with a Rayleigh-based model for e-vector orientation and percent polarization. With the Sun near the horizon, the underwater polarization patterns were distinctive. Unlike the polarization at small solar zenith angles, the underwater polarization at large solar zenith angles cannot be predicted by simple Rayleigh scattering, most likely because of the relatively high contribution of skylight. At sunrise, the underwater polarization pattern outside of Snell's window differed from that found during the day in percent polarization, spatial distribution, and wavelength dependence. These unique polarization characteristics may provide a polarization-sensitive animal with a distinct cue for mediating dial vertical migration performed by plankton or with another timing signal.     

Polarization spectroscopy applied to the detection of trace constituents in sooting combustion

The potential of polarization spectroscopy for the detection of trace constituents in sooting combustion was investigated. It was demonstrated that the directionality of the polarization spectroscopy signal can be exploited to efficiently suppress incoherent interferences, e.g., Rayleigh scattering at soot particles. We also show how polarization spectroscopy compares with laser-induced fluorescence in this type of environment by applying both techniques to atmospheric-pressure, premixed propane/oxygen flames. The acquired signals were spatially resolved along the centerline of the flame, and measurements were conducted at several heights above the burner head and for medium to very high fuel-to-oxidizer ratios. Through our work we found that polarization spectroscopy can be applied even in the presence of large soot fractions. For most conditions, where laser-induced fluorescence suffered from interferences like elastic scattering, spatially filtered polarization spectroscopy signals were virtually background-free, and only for high soot loads did a noticeable background on the latter signal appear. This background likely stems from Mie scattering at very large soot particles.     

Validation of space-based polarization measurements by use of a single-scattering approximation,with application to the global ozone monitoring experiment

A method is presented for in-flight validation of space-based polarization measurements based on approximation of the direction of polarization of scattered sunlight by the Rayleigh single-scattering value. This approximation is verified by simulations of radiative transfer calculations for various atmospheric conditions. The simulations show locations along an orbit where the scattering geometries are such that the intensities of the parallel and orthogonal polarization components of the light are equal, regardless of the observed atmosphere and surface. The method can be applied to any space-based instrument that measures the polarization of reflected solar light. We successfully applied the method to validate the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) polarization measurements. The error in the GOME's three broadband polarization measurements appears to be approximately 1%.     

A three-dimensional degree of polarization based on Rayleigh scattering

A measure of the degree of polarization for the three-dimensional polarization matrix (coherence matrix) of an electromagnetic field is proposed, based on Rayleigh scattering. The degree of polarization at a point is defined as an average, over all scattering directions, of an imagined dipole scattering of the three-dimensional state of polarization. This gives a well-defined purity measure, which, unlike other proposed measures of the three-dimensional degree of polarization, is not a unitary invariant of the matrix. This is demonstrated and discussed for several examples, including a partially polarized transverse beam.     

Filling in of Fraunhofer and gas-absorption lines in sky spectra as caused by rotational Raman scattering

A line-by-line radiative-transfer model to quantify the Ring effect as caused by rotational Raman scattering has been developed for the 310-550-nm spectral interval. The solar zenith angle and the resolution are key input parameters, as is the sky spectrum (excluding inelastic atmospheric scattering), which was modeled with modtran 3.5. The filling in is modeled for ground-based viewing geometry and includes surface reflection and single inelastic scattering. It is shown that O(2) contributes half of the filling in of N(2). A strong inverse relationship with wavelength is noted in the filling in. A comparison with observations shows moderate agreement. The largest filling in occurs in the Ca ii K and H lines.     

Boundary layer scattering measurements with a charge-coupled device camera lidar

A CCD-based bistatic lidar (CLidar) system has been developed and constructed to measure scattering in the atmospheric boundary layer. The system uses a CCD camera, wide-angle optics, and a laser. Imaging a vertical laser beam from the side allows high-altitude resolution in the boundary layer all the way to the ground. The dynamic range needed for the molecular signal is several orders of magnitude in the standard monostatic method, but only approximately 1 order of magnitude with the CLidar method. Other advantages of the Clidar method include low cost and simplicity. Observations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, show excellent agreement with the modeled molecular-scattering signal. The scattering depends on angle (altitude) and the polarization plane of the laser.     

Combined Henyey-Greenstein and Rayleigh phase function

The phase function is an important parameter that affects the distribution of scattered radiation. In Rayleigh scattering, a scatterer is approximated by a dipole, and its phase function is analytically related to the scattering angle. For the Henyey-Greenstein (HG) approximation, the phase function preserves only the correct asymmetry factor (i.e., the first moment), which is essentially important for anisotropic scattering. When the HG function is applied to small particles, it produces a significant error in radiance. In addition, the HG function is applied only for an intensity radiative transfer. We develop a combined HG and Rayleigh (HG-Rayleigh) phase function. The HG phase function plays the role of modulator extending the application of the Rayleigh phase function for small asymmetry scattering. The HG-Rayleigh phase function guarantees the correct asymmetry factor and is valid for a polarization radiative transfer. It approaches the Rayleigh phase function for small particles. Thus the HG-Rayleigh phase function has wider applications for both intensity and polarimetric radiative transfers. For microwave radiative transfer modeling in this study, the largest errors in the brightness temperature calculations for weak asymmetry scattering are generally below 0.02 K by using the HG-Rayleigh phase function. The errors can be much larger, in the 1-3 K range, if the Rayleigh and HG functions are applied separately.     

Ultraviolet Rayleigh-Mie lidar with Mie-scattering correction by Fabry-Perot etalons for temperature profiling of the troposphere

A Rayleigh-Mie-scattering lidar system at an eye-safe 355-nm ultraviolet wavelength that is based on a high-spectral-resolution lidar technique is demonstrated for measuring the vertical temperature profile of the troposphere. Two Rayleigh signals, which determine the atmospheric temperature, are filtered with two Fabry-Perot etalon filters. The filters are located on the same side of the wings of the Rayleigh-scattering spectrum and are optically constructed with a dual-pass optical layout. This configuration achieves a high rejection rate for Mie scattering and reasonable transmission for Rayleigh scattering. The Mie signal is detected with a third Fabry-Perot etalon filter, which is centered at the laser frequency. The filter parameters were optimized by numerical calculation; the results showed a Mie rejection of approximately -45 dB, and Rayleigh transmittance greater than 1% could be achieved for the two Rayleigh channels. A Mie correction method is demonstrated that uses an independent measure of the aerosol scattering to correct the temperature measurements that have been influenced by the aerosols and clouds. Simulations and preliminary experiments have demonstrated that the performance of the dual-pass etalon and Mie correction method is highly effective in practical applications. Simulation results have shown that the temperature errors that are due to noise are less than 1 K up to a height of 4 km for daytime measurement for 300 W m(-2) sr(-1) microm(-1) sky brightness with a lidar system that uses 200 mJ of laser energy, a 3.5-min integration time, and a 25-cm telescope.     

Dual-field imaging polarimeter using liquid crystal variable retarders

An imaging Stokes-vector polarimeter using liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVRs) has been built and calibrated. Operating in five bands from 450 to 700 nm, the polarimeter can be changed quickly between narrow (12 degrees ) and wide (approximately 160 degrees) fields of view. The instrument is designed for studying the effects of differing sky polarization upon the measured polarization of ground-based objects. LCVRs exhibit variations in retardance with ray incidence angle and ray position in the aperture. Therefore LCVR-based Stokes polarimeters exhibit unique calibration challenges not found in other systems. Careful design and calibration of the instrument has achieved errors within +/-1.5%. Clear-sky measurements agree well with previously published data and cloudy data provide opportunities to explore spatial and spectral variations in sky polarization.     

Light profile microscopy based on Raman and wavelength resolved luminescence contrast

Light profile microscopy based on contrast from wavelength resolved Raman and luminescence measurements is demonstrated experimentally for the first time. A Raman/multispectral light profile microscope (RMSLPM) has been constructed based on a line profiling geometry in which the sample is irradiated with a tightly focused laser beam (of ten micrometers radius or less) behind a polished view surface and the resulting line image is dispersed over the wavelength using an imaging spectrograph. The instrumentation developed in this laboratory has a spectral resolution approaching 10 cm(-1) and an (actual) depth independent spatial resolution of 6-8 times the Rayleigh diffraction limit, limited at present by optical aberrations and alignment. The technique has the potential to image at approximately twice the Rayleigh diffraction limit. The spectral signatures reconstructed from a variety of common industrial polymers show excellent agreement with reference spectra from the literature, and may be used to identify individual layers in depth images of unknown materials. RMS-LPM image data based on luminescence contrast have also been used to provide concentration depth profiles of additives and degradation products in injection molded samples of high-density poly(ethylene) (HDPE).     

Principal component-based radiative transfer model for hyperspectral sensors: theoretical concept

Modern infrared satellite sensors such as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), the Cross-Track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS), and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) are capable of providing high spatial and spectral resolution infrared spectra. To fully exploit the vast amount of spectral information from these instruments, superfast radiative transfer models are needed. We present a novel radiative transfer model based on principal component analysis. Instead of predicting channel radiance or transmittance spectra directly, the principal component-based radiative transfer model (PCRTM) predicts the principal component (PC) scores of these quantities. This prediction ability leads to significant savings in computational time. The parameterization of the PCRTM model is derived from the properties of PC scores and instrument line-shape functions. The PCRTM is accurate and flexible. Because of its high speed and compressed spectral information format, it has great potential for superfast one-dimensional physical retrieval and for numerical weather prediction large volume radiance data assimilation applications. The model has been successfully developed for the NAST-I and AIRS instruments. The PCRTM model performs monochromatic radiative transfer calculations and is able to include multiple scattering calculations to account for clouds and aerosols.