Light scattering resonances in small particles with electric and magnetic properties

Lorenz-Mie resonances produced by small spheres are analyzed as a function of their size and optical properties (epsi > or < 0, mu > or < 0). New generalized (mu not equal to 1) approximate and compact expressions of the first four Lorenz-Mie coefficients (a1, b1, a2, and b2) are calculated. With these expressions and for small particles with various values of epsi and mu, the extinction cross section (Q(ext)) is calculated and analyzed, in particular for resonant conditions. The dependence on particle size of the extinction resonance, together with the resonance shape (FWHM), is also analyzed. In addition to the former analysis, a study of the scattering diagrams for some interesting values of epsi and mu is also presented.     

Light scattering by a random distribution of particles embedded in absorbing media: diagrammatic expansion of the extinction coefficient

We address the problem of the modeling of the extinction coefficient into an absorbing medium, including a random distribution of identical scatterers of arbitrary size. We show that the extinction coefficient, including losses in the host medium, can be derived from a diagrammatic expansion arising from the rigorous multiple-scattering theory of electromagnetic waves in random media. While in previous approaches the contribution to the extinction coefficient due to the absorption in the host medium and due to the absorption and scattering by the particles were evaluated separately and heuristically, our approach is based on a derivation from first principles.     

Three-dimensional imaging analysis of confocal and conventional polarization microscopes by use of Mie scattering theory

We present a three-dimensional imaging analysis of confocal and conventional polarization microscopes by using the extended Mie scattering theory. In the analysis, we calculate the images of a Mie particle whose diameter is comparable with the wavelength of confocal and conventional microscopes. It was found that, when we observe a Mie particle, polarization confocal microscopy is not affected by the polarization distortion that is due to focusing with high-numerical-aperture lenses and does not produce pseudopeaks in the images in comparison with conventional polarization microscopy. The three-dimensional resolution of the polarization microscope and the verification of the proposed analysis method are also discussed.     

Evaluations of the new LiF-scintillator and optional brightness enhancement films for neutron imaging

Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed the neutron scintillator jointly with Chichibu Fuji Co., Ltd. In this study, we evaluated the new ZnS(Ag):Al/⁶Li scintillator developed for neutron imaging. It was confirmed that the brightness increased by about double while maintaining equal performance for the spatial resolution as compared with a conventional scintillator. High frame-rate imaging using a high-speed video camera system and this new scintillator made it possible to image beyond 10 000 frames per second while still having enough brightness. This technique allowed us to obtain a high-frame-rate visualization of oil flow in a running car engine. Furthermore, we devised a technique to increase the light intensity of reception for a camera by adding brightness enhancement films on the output surface of the scintillator. It was confirmed that the spatial resolution degraded more than double, but the brightness increased by about three times.     

Light scattering by a random distribution of particles embedded in absorbing media: full-wave Monte Carlo solutions of the extinction coefficient

We present a numerical investigation of the light scattering in an absorbing medium with randomly distributed scatterers. The extinction coefficient is derived from an ensemble of numerical solutions of Maxwell's equations for many different realizations of the system. Results are in good agreement with the predictions given by the effective medium theory under the independent-scattering approximation. Beyond the independent-scattering approximation, we explore the domain of validity of an effective medium theory that takes into account correlations between pairs of scatterers. A good agreement is obtained with a filling ratio up to 30% for scatterers with a relative refractive index contrast lower than 20% and size parameters near unity.     

Light scattering by ensemble of nonabsorbing correlated two-layered particles: specific feature for spectral dependence of extinction coefficient

Scattering of light by an ensemble of nonabsorbing spherical concentric two-layered particles is considered. It has been shown that exponent of the power function describing the wavelength dependence of the extinction coefficient of the medium with subwavelength-sized particles can exceed considerably the value of 4, which takes place for the Rayleigh scattering. Spatial correlation of particles enhances this "anomalous" dependence on the wavelength. Bleaching and darkening effects can be implemented. In the first case transmittance increases, while in the second case transmittance decreases with increased volume concentration. These effects can be used to get a sharp spectral dependence of transmittance. Comparison with the data for spatially correlated homogeneous particles is carried out.     

Design and performance analyses of the new time-of-flight smaller-angle neutron scattering instrument at J-PARC

The new time-of-flight smaller-angle neutron scattering (TOF-SANS) instrument HI-SANS is projected to be built in the Materials and Life Science Facility (MLF) of Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The target of the HI-SANS is to study microstructures and hierarchical structures of nano-meter sized materials and their complexes. For the simultaneous collection of scattering data in the wide q range (～3×10^?3<q<～50 Å^?1) with good q-resolution and high efficiency, this instrument is designed to use large area detectors and broad wavelength bandwidth within the first frame. For the high-quality beam transport and the efficacious utilization of pulsed neutrons, the state of the art neutron optics is installed. Moreover, a focusing device based on sextupole magnets is adopted in the TOF-SANS for the first time to make accessible minimum q value (q_min) lower with high q resolution. The design optimization and performance analyses of the HI-SANS have been performed by Monte Carlo simulations.     

Light scattering by sinusoidal surfaces: illumination windows and harmonics in standards

Sinusoidal surfaces can be used as material standards to help calibrate instruments that measure the angular distribution of the intensity of light scattered by arbitrary surfaces, because the power in the diffraction peaks varies over several orders of magnitude. The calculated power in the higher-order diffraction peaks from sinusoidal surfaces expressed in terms of Bessel functions is much smaller than the values determined from angular distributions that are measured or computed from measured profiles, both of which are determined mainly by the harmonic contents of the profile. The finite size of the illuminated area, represented by an illumination window, gives rise to a background that is much larger than the calculated power in the higher-order peaks. For a rectangular window of a size equal to an even number of periods of the sinusoid, a computation of the power distribution produces minima at or near the location of the diffraction angles for higher-order diffraction angles.     

Light scattering and absorption by soot in the presence of sulfate aerosols

The radiative properties of aerosol-soot mixtures, both internal and external, are determined in the visible and near-infrared bands by use of exact indirect mode-matching solutions to electromagnetic-wave scattering from a sphere with an eccentric spherical inclusion and from a cluster of spheres. Spherical sulfate droplets are assumed to represent aerosol particles. Soot particles are represented by volume-equivalent carbon spheres, the size distribution of which is obtained from the number distribution of the primary carbon particles that aggregate into soot grains. The mean gram-specific absorption cross section and the mean albedo of aerosol-soot mixtures are obtained by integration of the corresponding characteristics of composite sulfate-carbon particles over the size range of carbon spheres. Enhanced absorption of light by soot in aerosol-soot mixtures, a result of lensing by sulfate droplets, is highlighted by maps of the electromagnetic field in a sulfate-carbon particle.     

Absorption and scattering of light by pigment particles in solar-absorbing paints

The optical properties of black-pigmented solar absorbing paint were analyzed phenomenologically by use of the Kubelka-Munk theory, including correction for reflection on front and rear surfaces. The effective absorption and scattering coefficients and the efficiency curves for absorption and scattering were calculated for coatings with different pigment-to-volume concentration ratios. The dependence of absorption and scattering efficiency on the pigment-to-volume concentration ratio was analyzed by reference to theoretical data in the literature. It was concluded that, during drying and curing of coatings, spherical primary pigment particles most likely collect in elongated groups oriented perpendicularly to the coating surface. Formation of such groups helps in understanding the independent measurements of solar absorptance.     

Computation of light scattering by axisymmetric nonspherical particles and comparison with experimental results

A laboratory prototype of a novel experimental apparatus for the analysis of spherical and axisymmetric nonspherical particles in liquid suspensions has been developed. This apparatus determines shape, volume, and refractive index, and this is the main difference of this apparatus from commercially available particle analyzers. Characterization is based on the scattering of a monochromatic laser beam by particles [which can be inorganic, organic, or biological (such as red blood cells and bacteria)] and on the strong relation between the light-scattering pattern and the morphology and the volume, shape, and refractive index of the particles. To keep things relatively simple, first we focus attention on axisymmetrical particles, in which case hydrodynamic alignment can be used to simplify signal gathering and processing. Fast and reliable characterization is achieved by comparison of certain properly selected characteristics of the scattered-light pattern with the corresponding theoretical values, which are readily derived from theoretical data and are stored in a look-up table. The data in this table were generated with a powerful boundary-element method, which can solve the direct scattering problem for virtually arbitrary shapes. A specially developed fast pattern-recognition technique makes possible the on-line characterization of axisymmetric particles. Successful results with red blood cells and bacteria are presented.     

Parameters of the positive column of glow discharge with dust particles

We calculate the measured nonlocal parameters of the plasma of the positive column of direct current glow discharge in the presence of dust structures with different dust particle concentrations. The calculations are performed for typical conditions of the positive column of low-pressure glow discharge in air at which a collisional regime of maintaining discharge is achieved. The discharge plasma is described using the diffusion approximation; the flows to the surface of the dust particles are described in the orbital motion limited approximation. Calculation is carried out for micron-size particles with concentrations of up to 10¹¹ m^?3. The distribution of the dust component is assumed to be independent of the discharge parameters. Radial distributions of the plasma components and of the electric field component are obtained. The charges of dust particles for various concentrations and discharge parameters are calculated. It is demonstrated that for a certain particle concentration, the absorption efficiency of plasma particles becomes comparable with diffusion losses at the tube walls. The influence of the dust cloud on the electric field configuration at different dust particle concentrations in the cloud is analyzed. The current-voltage characteristics of the positive column of glow discharge are calculated. A higher discharge stability toward the perturbative action of dust particles at high discharge current values is demonstrated.     

Enhancement of the point-spread function for imaging in scattering media by use of polarization-difference imaging

Polarization-difference (PD) imaging techniques have been demonstrated to improve the detectability of target features that are embedded in scattering media. The improved detectability occurs for both passive imaging in moderately scattering media (<5 optical depths) and active imaging in more highly scattering media. These improvements are relative to what is possible with equivalent polarization-blind, polarization-sum (PS) imaging under the same conditions. In this investigation, the point-spread functions (PSF's) for passive PS and PD imaging in single-scattering media are studied analytically, and Monte Carlo simulations are used to study the PSF's in single- and moderately multiple-scattering media. The results indicate that the PD PSF can be significantly narrower than the corresponding PS PSF, implying that better images of target features with high-spatial-frequency information can be obtained by using differential polarimetry in scattering media. Although the analysis was performed for passive imaging at moderate optical depths, the results lend insight into experiments that have been performed in more highly scattering media with active imaging methods to help mitigate the effects of multiple scattering.     

Light scattering and absorption by fractal-like carbonaceous chain aggregates: comparison of theories and experiment

This study compares the optical coefficients of size-selected soot particles measured at a wavelength of 870 nm with those predicted by three theories, namely, Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (RDG) approximation, volume-equivalent Mie theory, and integral equation formulation for scattering (IEFS). Soot particles, produced by a premixed ethene flame, were size-selected using two differential mobility analyzers in series, and their scattering and absorption coefficients were measured with nephelometry and photoacoustic spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and image processing techniques were used for the parameterization of the structural properties of the fractal-like soot aggregates. The aggregate structural parameters were used to evaluate the predictions of the optical coefficients based on the three light-scattering and absorption theories. Our results show that the RDG approximation agrees within 10% with the experimental results and the exact electromagnetic calculations of the IEFS theory. Volume-equivalent Mie theory overpredicts the experimental scattering coefficient by a factor of approximately 3.2. The optical coefficients predicted by the RDG approximation showed pronounced sensitivity to changes in monomer mean diameter, the count median diameter of the aggregates, and the geometric standard deviation of the aggregate number size distribution.     

Three-dimensional imaging of microspheres with confocal and conventional polarization microscopes

We experimentally studied the three-dimensional imaging of the microspheres by using confocal and conventional scanning polarization microscopes. Because of the field amplitude averaging effect of the confocal system, the polarization of the detected signals is mainly parallel to the initial polarization. As a result, the signal intensity from the microspheres in the confocal polarization microscope with a crossed analyzer was found to be weaker than that in the conventional system. Based on a vector approach that takes the polarization into account and on the image formations of the two systems, theoretical expressions are given that agree well with the experimental results.