Theoretical and experimental study of blurring of a femtosecond laser pulse in a turbid medium

We propose an analytical model of the spatio-temporal structure of a short laser pulse transmitted through a layer of an optically inhomogeneous medium with high anisotropy of scattering. The light-field brightness in the medium is represented as a finite series in terms of multiplicities of the small-angle scattering, while the contribution from the higher-order scattering is allowed for as a quasi-diffuse component. The scattered-pulse structure is calculated on the basis of solving the radiative-transfer equation in the small-angle approximation with allowance for the effect of multipath light propagation. Compared with the first approximation of the multiple-scattering theory (attenuated nonscattered light plus the diffuse component), this approach makes it possible to describe more correctly the transformation of the spatio-angular distribution of light in the medium when passing from the single-scattering to multiple-scattering regime, as well as specify the temporal profile of the scattered pulse. The temporal profile of the femtosecond pulse transmitted through a layer of model scattering medium with various concentrations of scatterers is studied experimentally. The blurred-pulse structure is studied with the help of nonlinear optical gating in the case of noncollinear generation of the second harmonic. Good agreement between the theoretical and experimental time profiles of the scattered pulse is shown for the optical-thickness intervals corresponding to both the predominantly low multiplicity scattering and multiple small-angle scattering, which allows us to use the proposed analytical model for solving the inverse problem of the pulse sounding of a homogeneous turbid medium. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 333–348, April 2008.     

短脉冲激光与介质相互作用的扩散模型

推导了扩散近似方程,通过半无限大均匀介质计算,用扩散理论分析解验证了数值方法的有效性.模拟了光在非均匀介质内的传输过程,给出了介质内光通量随时间变化的空间分布.结果表明,该基于扩散模型的数值方法能够模拟短脉冲光在强散射介质中的传播过程以及漫散射光的时间变化特性,并且借助于光通量空间分布能够准确模拟非均匀介质内内含物的位置.     

Electromagnetic wave propagation in polycrystalline materials: effective medium approach

A theory for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous solids made of anisotropic crystallites is developed in the framework of the effective medium approach. The macroscopic dielectric tensor can explicitly be expressed by characteristic integrals containing the radial distribution function and a single anisotropy parameter. The phase mismatch of the waves scattered from misoriented crystallites leads to absorption and refraction effects that are calculated using a self-consistent approach in the sense of the distorted-wave approximation. For higher frequencies resonance structures occur which can be interpreted as an interference effect between disturbed and undisturbed waves in the effective medium.     

Finite element approximation of the Fokker-Planck equation for diffuse optical tomography

In diffuse optical tomography, light transport theory is used to describe photon propagation inside turbid medium. A commonly used simplification for the radiative transport equation is the diffusion approximation due to computational feasibility. However, it is known that the diffusion approximation is not valid close to the sources and boundary and in low-scattering regions. Fokker-Planck equation describes light propagation when scattering is forward-peaked. In this article a numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation using finite element method is developed. Approach is validated against Monte Carlo simulation and compared with the diffusion approximation. The results show that the Fokker-Planck equation gives equal or better results than the diffusion approximation on the boundary of a homogeneous medium and in turbid medium containing a low-scattering region when scattering is forward-peaked.     

Electromagnetic wave propagation in polycrystalline materials: effective medium approach

Abstract

A theory for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous solids made of anisotropic crystallites is developed in the framework of the effective medium approach. The macroscopic dielectric tensor can explicitly be expressed by characteristic integrals containing the radial distribution function and a single anisotropy parameter. The phase mismatch of the waves scattered from misoriented crystallites leads to absorption and refraction effects that are calculated using a self-consistent approach in the sense of the distorted-wave approximation. For higher frequencies resonance structures occur which can be interpreted as an interference effect between disturbed and undisturbed waves in the effective medium.     

Wave scattering in a multiscale random inhomogeneous medium

In this paper, using the Fock method of the fifth parameter and weighted Fourier-transform with respect to the coordinates of the source and observer, an integral representation is obtained for the wave field in a randomly inhomogeneous medium without invoking the assumption about small-angle propagation. Random trajectory variations to a first approximation are taken into account in calculating the partial wave phase (the expression under the integral sign). The expressions for the field in a medium with different-scale irregularities and for the scintillation index, obtained using this integral representation, are compared with known results. The good agreement with results from the theory of single scattering in a medium with background irregularities, and with investigations of the scintillation index made in terms of Rytov's method and path integrals, indicates that it is possible to use the approach developed in this study to describe the effects of simultaneous influence of different-scale irregularities.     

Composition of propagated,reflected and transmitted waves in arbitrary and continuously stratified environments

First, a solution is presented for a canonical problem in wave propagation. Second, illustrations and applications of the results are carried out to study cases which are relevant to the propagation problem in the ocean and atmosphere.The canonical problem consists of a plane wave incident on an arbitrary and continuously stratified region with planar boundaries. The explicit composition of the reflected, transmitted and propagated waves are derived. The solution is systematic and allows for (i) discontinuities in the acoustic properties at boundaries and arbitrary variation within, (ii) attenuation, (iii) all angles of incidence. The general expressions are obtained by using an alternate procedure to one recently devised [1]. The present approach is straightforward and plainly amenable to physical interpretation of its auxiliary mathematical constants. The discontinuities at the boundaries are satisfied at the outset. The reflected and transmitted waves are directly and explicitly specified. Comparison to widely used techniques in both analytical and numerical works is made to demonstrate the viability of the present approach.A series of cases relevant to the problem at hand are considered. These cases illustrate the mechanics involved in use of the method, and expand its application to problems that appear to be at variance with the formulation of the canonical problem. The illustrations include attenuation in the medium, effect on the solution of different acoustic discontinuities at the boundaries, and use of an inhomogeneous background profile with known independent solutions. The expanded applications treat formally three types of problems: (i) the exact solution for plane waves in continuously stratified media where the well-used ray theory or W-K-B approximation serves only as a first approximation in a correct iterative solution; (ii) the scattering of a plane wave by non-planar boundaries, i.e., spherical or cylindrical acoustic lens with the stratification along the radial direction; (iii) the field due to a point source in a continuously stratified wave guide, like the ocean or atmosphere.     

Focusing of waves in an anisotropic plane-layered medium

The problem of propagation of electromagnetic waves in an inhomogeneous uniaxial anisotropic medium is discussed. Analytic solutions of Maxwell's equations are found for two particular cases of a plane-layered dielectric. The effect of different parameters of an inhomogeneous distribution of refractive indices on the propagation characteristics of wave beams is analyzed. The corrections of the first approximation of perturbation theory to the propagation constants of natural waves are obtained for a plane-layered focusing medium of general type. This has permitted solving the problem of a distribution of the refractive index which provides for optimal focusing.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 21, No. 12, pp. 1812–1821, December, 1978.In conclusion, the author expresses his gratitude to I. V. Ivanov and N. A. Morozov for their attention to this paper.     

Pulse propagation of acoustic waves scattered in a channel

When acoustic waves are scattered by random sound-speed fluctuations in a two-dimensional channel the energy is continually transferred between the propagating modes. In the multiple- scattering region the energy flux assumes an asymptotic form in which there is equal energy flux propagating in each mode. Here we shall make use of this well known result to show how to obtain an asymptotic form for a pulse of acoustic energy propagating in the channel. In the multiple-scattering region the speed of the acoustic waves in the pulse continually changes as the energy is transferred between the modes. The process is basically a diffusion process around the mean speed of propagation. We shall first show, using physical arguments, that the diffusion coefficient is proportional to the square root of the propagation distance times the mean free path of scattering. The theory governing the acoustic propagation in the channel is formulated in terms of modal coherence equations and we shall next give a brief review of the definitions of the coherence functions and a discussion of how the equations governing the propagation of the modal coherence functions are derived. We shall then show how the pulse shape and the relevant parameters may be obtained by solving the basic modal coherence equations at large propagation distances.     

A General Spectral-Domain Formulation of the Electromagnetic Scattering by a Perfectly Conducting Circular Cylinder

A full-wave method for the two-dimensional scattering problem by a perfectly conducting circular cylinder is presented, providing an exact solution for the Helmholtz equation in very general cases. The method is based on the Fourier series expression of the boundary conditions (Dirichlet and Neumann) generated by an arbitrary, finite-power, incident beam, and the analysis is performed in the complex plane of the analytic continuation of a space spectral variable. This approach allows us to define an analytic continuation for cylindrical wave expansions, working with lossy propagation media and with a full incident spectrum, including inhomogeneous waves, both in E and in H polarization. Convergence of the modal expansion is investigated, to verify that very weak hypotheses are needed, and no geometrical or paraxial approximation is required. Extact expressions for the expansion coefficients are given, in terms of complex intergrations involving the Fourier spectrum of the incident beam.     

Interaction of a Hydrogen-Like Atom with an Ultrashort Pulse of Electromagnetic Waves

In the approximation of sudden perturbations, a solution of the Dirac equation describing the behavior of a hydrogen-like atom interacting with a spatially inhomogeneous ultrashort pulse of electromagnetic waves is derived. As an example, the single-electron inelastic processes accompanying the interaction of ultrashort pulses with hydrogen-like atoms are considered. The method developed here allows the spatial inhomogeneity of the ultrashort pulse of electromagnetic waves to be taken into account.     

Quasi-geometrical optics methods in the theory of wave propagation through a randomly inhomogeneous layer

Some possibilities of using asymptotic methods, such as the Maslov method and the interference-integral method, in problems of wave propagation in randomly inhomogeneous media are considered. It is shown that using the Maslov method and the interference-integral method in a small-angle approximation, and neglecting amplitude fluctuations of partial waves, provides results of heuristic spectral methods that utilize expansions in terms of incoming or outgoing waves. The combined use of these asymptotic methods gives a third heuristic method, a mixed-integral representation obtained earlier by applying the method of two-scale expansions. It is pointed out that results of a mixed-integral representation change to those of the method of smooth disturbances and of the phase-screen method. Unlike the method of two-scale expansions, the proposed approach based on the combined use of asymptotic methods facilitates the process of taking into account the heterogeneity of a background medium.     

Study on light scattering by a multilayered infinite cylinder immersed in an absorbing medium

On the basis of the theory of electromagnetic scattering of plane waves by a multilayered cylinder, analytic solutions are developed for single scattering properties of an inhomogeneous cylinder embedded in an absorbing medium with normal incidence, and the rapid recursive algorithm is given. Results show that computations for scattering field in our code are extended to fairly large parameters, up to 10,000 and 10⁶ in number of layers. Some examples are simulated to validate the code, and compared with the published results with good agreement. The variations of the scattering matrix with the scattering angles of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous cylinders are simulated. The results show that the scattering matrix depends closely on the refractive index of the surroundings, and the explanation of the scattering mechanism is given.     

Decorrelation and phase-shift of coda waves induced by local changes: multiple scattering approach and numerical validation

We report on theoretical predictions of the decorrelation and phase-shift of coda waves induced by local changes in multiple scattering media. Using the multiple scattering formalism, we show that both expressions (decorrelation and phase-shift) involve a same sensitivity kernel based on the intensity transport in the medium. We compare the kernels based on the diffusion approximation with the ones based on the radiative transfer approximation, showing that the latter is more accurate at short times or for changes located close to the source or the receiver. We also perform a series of numerical simulations of wave propagation (finite differences) to validate our models in different configurations.     

Enhanced backscattering of vortex waves from volume scattering media

The effect of phase vortices on the enhanced coherent backscattering from volume scattering media is studied theoretically and experimentally. The experimental results are well described by a theoretical model based on the diffusion approximation corrected for small path lengths contributions. Based on this approach, a self-referencing method for measuring the optical characteristics of a multiple scattering medium can be developed.     

Inverse radiation problem in one-dimensional slab by time-resolved reflected and transmitted signals

A time-domain inverse approach is proposed for estimating the distribution of absorbing and scattering coefficients in one-dimensional inhomogeneous media. The temporal reflected and transmitted signals are detected when an ultra-short pulse irradiates on the boundary of semi-transparent scattering media. Forward computation and inverse algorithm employ the least-squares finite element method and conjugate gradient method, respectively. As the prevalent diffusion approximation is not employed in our model, the present approach can be extended to more comprehensive application. The investigation about detected signals indicates that the reflected signals play a significant role in reconstructing optical properties; the signals in early sampling time are more important than those at long-time logarithm slope, and so, more attention should be paid to the early signals in the solution of inverse radiation problem. Three different inverse radiation problems are investigated to show the ability of the present approach to deal with the two-layer, three-layer and continuous inhomogeneous media. The effect of measured errors on the accuracy of reconstruction is investigated by adding artificial random errors. The results indicate that accurate reconstruction depends on not only precise numerical simulation but also quality of detected data.     

Differential approximations for transient radiative transfer through a participating medium exposed to collimated irradiation

First, we apply the modified differential approximation (MDA) suggested by Chandrasekhar to transient radiative transfer in a scattering planar medium exposed to collimated pulse irradiation. Next, a hybrid method of the P_1/3 approximation suggested by Olson and the MDA is developed. The hybrid method may be referred to as the modified P_1/3 approximation (MP_1/3A) and is also applied to the same example. Comparisons of the results obtained by solving the MDA, the MP_1/3A and the exact integral equation are made. The comparisons show that the temporal distribution of the transmissivity obtained by the MDA contains a small protuberance or an abrupt slope change, which decreases with the decrease of the scattering albedo. The results obtained by the MP_1/3A are more accurate than those obtained by the MDA for most of the cases considered, because the MP_1/3A corrects the propagation speed of the transmitted radiation.     

Nonlinear waves in para-and ferroelectrics described by the Landau-Khalatnikov equation

The propagation of an extremely short (one cycle long) pulse of an electromagnetic field in a medium with two equilibrium states is considered theoretically. The analysis is based on the set of Maxwell equations and the Landau-Khalatnikov equation, in which the approximations of the slowly varying envelopes are not used. The solutions of this set that describe the steady-state propagation of a solitary polarization wave and of an electromagnetic pulse are found. In the approximation of a unidirectional wave, a numerical simulation of the propagation and interaction of solitary waves is performed in terms of the model considered.