Light-scattering methods for modelling algal particles as a collection of coated and/or nonspherical scatterers

Ocean reflectance or ocean colour measurements are an important tool for oceanographic studies of phytoplankton dynamics. Theoretical models based on homogeneous, spherical particles underestimate algal backscattering and thus reflectance values. It is our understanding that more advanced light-scattering methods must be employed, both for refractive index retrieval (Mie, Aden–Kerker) with inverse models, and for backscattering calculations (Extended Boundary Condition Method, EBCM). The measured optical properties of a monospecific bloom of the marine brown tide pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens are used to compare the effects of assuming various simulated particle geometries. Computational results from polydisperse, coated spherical particles show results that compare better to experimental reflectance values than calculations based on homogeneous spheres. No noticeable change in simulated reflectance values is observed when a randomly oriented coated spheroidal (rather than spherical) geometry is assumed for the particle population. Our results suggest that a layered spherical geometry, based on Aden–Kerker theory, can adequately reproduce experimentally determined light-scattering properties even supposedly shape-sensitive properties such as the backscattering coefficient.     

随机介质的相干背散射与局域化研究

研究了不同尺度参数和粒子浓度下的ZnO随机介质相干背散射强度的分布规律,采用时域有限差分法分析了不同浓度随机介质的光场能量空间分布,预测了随机激光器阈值的高低。结果表明:同一折射率的介质随着介质尺寸的增大,相干背散射的带宽变窄,局域化参量kl值相应增大,使得局域化程度呈较大幅度减弱趋势;并且随着介质浓度的增加,相干背散射的带宽变宽,局域化程度增强,阈值降低。相干背散射有着光子局域化的先期特征,现在已成为研究光子局域化出现与否的基本判断依据,对研究光子局域化以及随机激光器具有重要意义。     

Light scattering by a sphere with variable optical properties of the intermediate layer

A two-parameter model of a scattering spherical particle with a layer of a variable thickness (the first parameter), inside which the refractive index is specified by an arbitrary continuous function (the second parameter), is proposed. An algorithm for calculating the extinction and backscattering efficiency factors with the help of a developed piecewise-hyperbolic approximation of the scattering coefficients is presented. A correct choice of the parameters allowed us to obtain good agreement between the experimental and calculated data on the extinction and backscattering efficiency for typical polydisperse systems of particles of irregular shape.     

Numerically exact computer simulations of light scattering by densely packed, random particulate media

Direct computer simulations of electromagnetic scattering by discrete random media have become an active area of research. In this progress review, we summarize and analyze our main results obtained by means of numerically exact computer solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations. We consider finite scattering volumes with size parameters in the range [20] and [59], composed of varying numbers of randomly distributed particles with different refractive indices. The main objective of our analysis is to examine whether all backscattering effects predicted by the low-density theory of coherent backscattering (CB) also take place in the case of densely packed media. Based on our extensive numerical data we arrive at the following conclusions: (i) all backscattering effects predicted by the asymptotic theory of CB can also take place in the case of densely packed media; (ii) in the case of very large particle packing density, scattering characteristics of discrete random media can exhibit behavior not predicted by the low-density theories of CB and radiative transfer; (iii) increasing the absorptivity of the constituent particles can either enhance or suppress typical manifestations of CB depending on the particle packing density and the real part of the refractive index. Our numerical data strongly suggest that spectacular backscattering effects identified in laboratory experiments and observed for a class of high-albedo Solar System objects are caused by CB.     

Study on electromagnetic backscattering and Doppler spectrum of a moving spherical target above time-varying sea surface

The surface electric current of the sea surface and the first-order scattering field from the spherical target were obtained by employing Physical Optics method and Mie theory, respectively. The backscattering field of the time-evolving sea surface was calculated by using Kirchhoff Approximation. Meanwhile, by taking the advantage of a newly developed technique that utilizes the reciprocity theorem, the difficulty in formulating the secondary coupling scattering fields from the spherical target above the sea surface was reduced. The dependence of the secondary coupling backscattering field on the size and the position of the spherical target was discussed, and the characteristic of the Doppler spectrum of the composite backscattering field with different incident angles was analyzed in detail. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60571058) and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20070701010)     

Size of the Detection Area of a Phase-Doppler Anemometer for reflecting and refracting particles

Measurements of particle size distributions in multi-phase flows with a phase-Doppler anemometer yield incorrect results if polydisperse particles are investigated. For weighting biased size distributions, different in situ methods, requiring the size of the detection area, are known, but all of these weighting procedures are restricted to very small measuring volumes if off-axis instrument configurations are considered. Moreover, the weighting functions have some disadvantages in the case of poor statistics in single size classes or the results are not suitable for determining the size of the detection area for particles which are larger than the beam waist. Therefore, the intention in this work was to measure the size of the detection area for different kinds of monodisperse particles, different instrument configurations and varied instrument sensitivities experimentally and to develop an improved weighting procedure that copes with the above difficulties. The application of the results obtained from the investigations with monodisperse particles to measured particle size distributions and volume flux densities of polydisperse water droplets in a spray cone of an atomizer confirms the applicability of this weighting procedure. It is still restricted to directed flows, perpendicular to the fringes.     

Polydisperse spherical colloidal silica particles:Preparation and application

A new industrial method has been developed to produce polydisperse spherical colloidal silica particles with a very broad particle size,ranging from 20-95 nm.The process uses a reactor in which the original seed solution is heated to 100 ℃,and then active silicic acid and the seed solution are titrated to the reactor continuously with a constant rate.The original seeds and the titrated seeds in the reactor will go through different particle growth cycles to form different particle sizes.Both the particles' size distribution and morphology have been characterized by dynamic light scattering(DLS)and the focus ion beam(FIB) system.In addition,the as-prepared polydisperse colloidal silica particle in the application of sapphire wafer's chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) process has been tested.The material removal rate(MRR) of this kind of abrasive has been tested and verified to be much faster than traditional monodisperse silica particles.Finally,the mechanism of sapphire CMP process by this kind of polydisperse silica particles has been investigated to explore the reasons for the high polishing rate.     

球形粒子在聚焦拉盖尔-高斯光束中的散射特性研究

研究了球形粒子在聚焦拉盖尔-高斯光束中的散射特性. 根据广义Mie理论, 推导出球形粒子在聚焦拉盖尔-高斯光束中散射系数的解析公式. 针对光束的电场分布及粒子散射强度进行了数值仿真, 讨论了散射强度随散射角、散射球粒子半径和拓扑荷的变化特性, 并通过散射系数解释了散射强度分布的振荡现象. 结果表明, 在聚焦拉盖尔-高斯光束照射下, 球形粒子的后向散射强度随着粒子半径的增大而逐渐增大; 后向散射强度开始增大时对应的粒子半径与拓扑荷有关. 通过与高斯光束的对比, 可以看出球形粒子在聚焦拉盖尔-高斯光束中散射特性的差异, 使其在粒径测量、光通信和大气后向散射探测等方面具有潜在应用价值.     

Deterministic weak localization in periodic structures

In some perfect periodic structures classical motion exhibits deterministic diffusion. For such systems we present the weak localization theory. As a manifestation for the velocity autocorrelation function a universal power law decay is predicted to appear at four Ehrenfest times. This deterministic weak localization is robust against weak quenched disorders, which may be confirmed by coherent backscattering measurements of periodic photonic crystals.     

Coherent backscattering of light by a layer of discrete random medium

We consider the problem of backscattering of light by a layer of discrete random medium illuminated by an obliquely incident plane electromagnetic wave. The multiply scattered reflected radiation is assumed to consist of incoherent and coherent parts, the coherent part being caused by the interference of multiply scattered waves. Formulas describing the characteristics of the reflected radiation are derived assuming that the scattering particles are spherical. The formula for the incoherent contribution reproduces the standard vector radiative transfer equation. The interference contribution is expressed in terms of a system of Fredholm integral equations with kernels containing Bessel functions. The special case of the backscattering direction is considered in detail. It is shown that the angular width of the backscattering interference peak depends on the polar angle of the incident wave and on the azimuth angle of the reflection direction.     

Suppression of localization effects by the high frequency field and the nyquist noise

It is shown that strong inelastic processes are not necessary for suppression of localization effects in disordered conductors. The influence of an external high frequency electric field on quantum corrections to conductivity is considered. Relatively weak fields are found to suppress localization. Thermal electromagnetic fluctuations act in the same way. These fluctuations lead to new dependences of localization effects in films and wires on temperature, impurity concentration and transversal size of the sample.     

Enhanced backscattering and modal echo of reverberant elastic waves

We report experimental evidence for coherent backscattering of waves in a three-dimensional elastic body. Ultrasonic spectral energy density consequent to a transient excitation is measured as a function of time and of distance from the source. In accord with the predictions of random matrix theory, an enhancement is found near the source by a weak localization factor of 2 at early times, but a factor of 3 at late times. The effect appears to be independent of absorption.     

Optical equivalence of isotropic ensembles of ellipsoidal particles in the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye and anomalous diffraction approximations and its consequences

Light scattering by isotropic ensembles of ellipsoidal particles is considered in the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye approximation. It is proved that randomly oriented ellipsoidal particles are optically equivalent to polydisperse randomly oriented spheroidal particles and polydisperse spherical particles. Density functions of the shape and size distributions for equivalent ensembles of spheroidal and spherical particles are presented. In the anomalous diffraction approximation, equivalent ensembles of particles are shown to also have equal extinction, scattering, and absorption coefficients. Consequences of optical equivalence are considered. The results are illustrated by numerical calculations of the angular dependence of the scattering phase function using the T-matrix method and the Mie theory.     

Weak localization of light in a disordered microcavity

We report the observation of weak localization of light in a semiconductor microcavity. The intrinsic disorder in a microcavity leads to multiple scattering and hence to static speckle. We show that averaging over realizations of the disorder reveals a coherent backscattering cone that has a coherent enhancement factor > or =2, as required by reciprocity. The coherent backscattering cone is observed along a ring-shaped pattern due to confinement by the microcavity.     

Multiple scattering of light by atoms in the weak localization regime

Coherent backscattering is a multiple scattering interference effect which enhances the diffuse reflection off a disordered sample in the backward direction. Classically, the enhanced intensity is twice the average background under well chosen experimental conditions. We show how the quantum internal structure of atomic scatterers leads to a significantly smaller enhancement. Theoretical results for double scattering in the weak localization regime are presented which confirm recent experimental observations.     

Magnetoresistance calculations for a quantum wire with periodically modulated width

We present numerical calculations of the magnetoresistance in a ballistic quantum wire with periodically modulated width. Surprisingly, the negative magnetoresistance peak is found to persist to a field strength which is two orders of magnitude larger than in single quantum dots. In the weakB-field regime, our results are in good agreement with recent experiments. We argue that the wide peak is due to multiple backscattering among the segments of the wire, leading to a novel weak localization effect.     

Coherent backscattering of light by complex random media of spherical scatterers: numerical solution

Novel Monte Carlo techniques are described for the computation of reflection coefficient matrices for multiple scattering of light in plane-parallel random media of spherical scatterers. The present multiple scattering theory is composed of coherent backscattering and radiative transfer. In the radiative transfer part, the Stokes parameters of light escaping from the medium are updated at each scattering process in predefined angles of emergence. The scattering directions at each process are randomized using probability densities for the polar and azimuthal scattering angles: the former angle is generated using the single-scattering phase function, whereafter the latter follows from Kepler's equation. For spherical scatterers in the Rayleigh regime, randomization proceeds semi-analytically whereas, beyond that regime, cubic spline presentation of the scattering matrix is used for numerical computations. In the coherent backscattering part, the reciprocity of electromagnetic waves in the backscattering direction allows the renormalization of the reversely propagating waves, whereafter the scattering characteristics are computed in other directions. High orders of scattering (~10 000) can be treated because of the peculiar polarization characteristics of the reverse wave: after a number of scatterings, the polarization state of the reverse wave becomes independent of that of the incident wave, that is, it becomes fully dictated by the scatterings at the end of the reverse path. The coherent backscattering part depends on the single-scattering albedo in a non-monotonous way, the most pronounced signatures showing up for absorbing scatterers. The numerical results compare favourably to the literature results for nonabsorbing spherical scatterers both in and beyond the Rayleigh regime.     

中红外低浓度无序介质的光子定域化理论研究

提出一些折射率比锗还高的中红外材料(第一类)以及中红外反常色散材料(第二类)可以用于无序介质的光子定域化研究.基于Mie散射理论的研究发现,即使在低浓度散射体近似下,也容易在第一类无序介质中实现光子定域化;同时可在第二类无序介质中实现一定意义下(含一定的吸收)的光子定域化,且频率位于各自的剩余射线带内.研究还发现,基质的折射率效应在这两类无序介质中的作用完全不同.还提出了散射体平均等效散射截面饱和的假设,讨论了因此而导致的问题 关键词： 光子定域化 无序介质 中红外 反常色散     

Ehrenfest time and the coherent backscattering off ballistic cavities

If the Ehrenfest time tau(E) of a ballistic cavity is not negligible in comparison to its dwell time tau(D), the weak localization correction to the cavity's transmission is suppressed proportional to exp(-tau(E/tau(D). At the same time, quantum interference enhances the probability of reflection into the mode of incidence by a factor two. This "enhanced backscattering" does not depend on the Ehrenfest time. We show that, in addition to the diagonal enhanced backscattering, there are off-diagonal contributions to coherent backscattering that become relevant if tau(E) > or = tau(D).     

Dynamics of a bubble cluster in an acoustic field

A mathematical model describing the dynamics of clustered gas bubbles under the effect of an acoustic field is presented. The proposed model is used as the basis for an analytical study of small bubble oscillations in monodisperse and polydisperse clusters and for a numerical study of nonlinear bubble oscillations under high-amplitude external pressures. The following effects are found to occur in a polydisperse cluster: a synchronization of the collapse phases of bubbles with different radii and a collapse intensification for bubbles of one size in the presence of bubbles of another size. These effects are explained by the interaction between bubbles of different radii in the cluster.