Instrumentation to measure the backscattering coefficient b(b) for arbitrary phase functions

A single detector instrument concept that collects scattered light over the full range of backscattering angles is described. Its light collection aperture is designed so as to introduce a sin θ factor into the collection probability. Hence, the instrument is exactly a b(b) meter; it directly measures b(b), not a proxy for it. For an infinitesimal aperture to the detector, the instrument would give b(b) exactly; for a finite aperture (e.g., 1.26 cm(2)), it would typically give b(b) to an accuracy of a few tenths of 1%. The instrumentation itself is as simple as that of the well-known fixed-angle meters-it projects a beam of light into the medium and collects backscattered light with a single detector; the differences are the position of the detector and the shape/orientation of the entrance aperture to the detector.