Scattering of electromagnetic waves by ensembles of particles and discrete random media

Current problems of the theory of multiple scattering of electromagnetic waves by discrete random media are reviewed, with an emphasis on densely packed media. All equations presented are based on the rigorous theory of electromagnetic scattering by an arbitrary system of non-spherical particles. The main relations are derived in the circular-polarization basis. By applying methods of statistical electromagnetics to a discrete random medium in the form of a plane-parallel layer, we transform these relations into equations describing the average (coherent) field and equations for the sums of ladder and cyclical diagrams in the framework of the quasi-crystalline approximation. The equation for the average field yields analytical expressions for the generalized Lorentz-Lorenz law and the generalized Ewald-Oseen extinction theorem, which are traditionally used for the calculation of the effective refractive index. By assuming that the particles are in the far-field zones of each other, we transform all equations asymptotically into the well-known equations for sparse media. Specifically, the equation for the sum of the ladder diagrams is reduced to the classical vector radiative transfer equation. We present a simple approximate solution of the equation describing the weak localization (WL) effect (i.e., the sum of cyclical diagrams) and validate it by using experimental and numerically exact theoretical data. Examples of the characteristics of WL as functions of the physical properties of a particulate medium are given. The applicability of the interference concept of WL to densely packed media is discussed using results of numerically exact computer solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations for large ensembles of spherical particles. These results show that theoretical predictions for spare media composed of non-absorbing or weakly absorbing particles are reasonably accurate if the particle packing density is less than ∼30%. However, a further increase of the packing density and/or absorption may cause optical effects not predicted by the low-density theory and caused by near-field effects. The origin of the near-filed effects is discussed in detail.     

Performance of discrete dipole approximation for prediction of amplitude and phase of electromagnetic scattering by particles

Electromagnetic scattering provides useful signatures for nonintrusive particle characterization. Scattered wave which carries characteristic information about particles is identified completely by its intensity, polarization state and phase. Recent developments in measurement techniques have enabled measurement of phase of the scattered wave which is a source of additional information about particles. In the present study, accuracy of discrete dipole approximation (DDA) in predicting amplitude and phase of scattered wave is investigated via publicly available DDSCAT code by Draine and Flatau, which is a well-established tool for DDA and has found wide range of applications in the literature due to its flexibility. DDSCAT routine is modified to enable accurate computation of phase of complex amplitude scattering matrix (ASM) elements as well as their magnitude. DDA method was implemented by using lattice dispersion relation for dipole polarizabilities, generalized prime factor algorithm for fast-Fourier transformation and pre-conditioned bi-conjugate gradient method with stabilization for the solution of the complex linear system of equations. Accuracy of ASM elements predicted by DDA is assessed on single sphere problems with various size parameters and refractive indices by validation against Mie theory solutions. Excellent agreement between predictions and exact solutions proves the reliability of the modified DDSCAT code for prediction of amplitude and phase of scattered electromagnetic wave. Applicability conditions and requirements of the present DDA application to ensure accurate prediction of complete set of scattering parameters are mapped for single spheres, on an extensive domain of size parameters and refractive indices. A correlation is presented to estimate the magnitude and phase errors associated with given size parameter, refractive index and cubic lattice subdivision. Assessment of computational time requirements for different optical constants shows that implementation of DDA with the present specifications is unfeasible for size parameters larger than 4 when Re(m)>2 and Im(m)<0.1 at the same time, due to slow convergence rate.     

Introduction to light scattering by Gaussian random particles

Background, current status, and future prospects are offered for “Light scattering by Gaussian random particles: Ray-optics approximation” [1]. The stochastic geometry of the random particle is called the Gaussian random sphere. The radial distance of the Gaussian sphere is lognormally distributed. Two logarithmic radial distances at a given great-circle angle apart relate to one another according to the covariance function. Sample Gaussian particles can be conveniently generated using a Legendre polynomial expansion for the covariance function and a spherical harmonics expansion for the logarithmic radial distance. The ray-optics approximation consists of the geometric-optics and forward-diffraction parts fully accounting for polarization. It is valid for particles much larger than the wavelength of incident light and with central phase differences much larger than unity. The numerical ray-tracing algorithms are general and, in principle, applicable computationally to arbitrarily shaped non-spherical particles.     

Light scattering by small feldspar particles simulated using the Gaussian random sphere geometry

The single-scattering properties of Gaussian random spheres are calculated using the discrete dipole approximation. The ensemble of model particles is assumed to be representative for a feldspar dust sample that is characteristic for weakly absorbing irregularly shaped mineral aerosol. The morphology of Gaussian random spheres is modeled based on a statistical shape analysis using microscope images of the dust sample. The size distribution of the dust sample is based on a particle sizing experiment. The refractive index of feldspar is estimated using literature values. All input parameters used in the light scattering simulations are thus obtained in an objective way based on the true properties of the mineral sample. The orientation-averaged and ensemble-averaged scattering matrices and cross sections of the Gaussian random spheres are compared with light scattering simulations using spheroidal shape models which have been shown to be applicable to the feldspar sample. The Gaussian random sphere model and the spheroidal shape model are assessed using the measured scattering matrix of the feldspar dust sample as a reference. Generally, the spheroidal model with strongly elongated prolate and strongly flattened oblate shapes agrees better with the measurement than the Gaussian random sphere model. In contrast, some features that are characteristic for light scattering by truly irregular mineral dust particles are rendered best by the Gaussian random sphere model; these features include the flat shape of the phase function and a minimum in the scattering matrix element F₂₂/F₁₁ as a function of the scattering angle.     

Multiple scattering of light by a layer of discrete random medium: backscattering

The problem of multiple scattering of light by a layer of discrete random medium is considered. The medium is supposed to be rarefied with scatterers randomly positioned in the layer. Backscattering of light incident normal to the plane of the layer is considered. The scattering matrix is presented as a sum of three matrices, one of them corresponding to incoherent scattering of light and difference of the other two matrices describing coherent scattering. Equations for the calculation of these matrices are given.     

随机取向群聚椭球粒子光散射特性研究

利用离散偶极子近似方法,考虑单元粒子之间的电磁相互作用,数值计算了随机取向的不同尺度参数、不同纵横比的群聚椭球粒子的缪勒矩阵元素,给出了各个缪勒矩阵元素的角分布曲线,探讨了随机取向的群聚椭球粒子的尺度参数、纵横比、基本粒子相对位置对其缪勒矩阵元素的影响。并将随机取向群聚椭球粒子的光散射特性与单个等效球形粒子的数值结果进行了比较。结果表明,随机取向群聚椭球粒子的光散射特性与等效球形粒子的光散射特性存在很大差别,基本粒子的形状越偏离球形,这种差别就越大; 随机取向群聚椭球粒子中椭球粒子的纵横比和相对位置对整个群聚粒子的缪勒矩阵元素存在不同程度的影响,并且此影响随着粒子尺度参数的增大而变得更加显著。     

随机取向群聚椭球粒子光散射特性研究

利用离散偶极子近似方法,考虑单元粒子之间的电磁相互作用,数值计算了随机取向的不同尺度参数、不同纵横比的群聚椭球粒子的缪勒矩阵元素,给出了各个缪勒矩阵元素的角分布曲线,探讨了随机取向的群聚椭球粒子的尺度参数、纵横比、基本粒子相对位置对其缪勒矩阵元素的影响。并将随机取向群聚椭球粒子的光散射特性与单个等效球形粒子的数值结果进行了比较。结果表明,随机取向群聚椭球粒子的光散射特性与等效球形粒子的光散射特性存在很大差别,基本粒子的形状越偏离球形,这种差别就越大; 随机取向群聚椭球粒子中椭球粒子的纵横比和相对位置对整个群聚粒子的缪勒矩阵元素存在不同程度的影响,并且此影响随着粒子尺度参数的增大而变得更加显著。     

Estimation of angle of arrival in a discrete random scattering environment using a Capon beamformer with a compensation matrix

We analyse the problem of the estimation of the angle of arrival in discrete random scattering media. Assuming incidence of a plane wave, we derive the performance of the determination of the angle of arrival in terms of beamwidth, which reflects the ability to resolve the angle of arrival from several directions. The minimum variance beamformer or Capon beamformer is applied. We demonstrate that in random scattering media the signal arriving at the receiving array shows correlation and is modelled as a Gaussian function, and this correlation deteriorates the ability to determine the angle of arrival. A matrix compensation is introduced to improve the performance by correcting the correlation. The main parameter in compensation is the correlation length. We investigate the effect of the correlation length on the angle of arrival.     

A reduced basis method for electromagnetic scattering by multiple particles in three dimensions

We consider the development of efficient and fast computational methods for parametrized electromagnetic scattering problems involving many scattering three dimensional bodies. The parametrization may describe the location, orientation, size, shape and number of scattering bodies as well as properties of the source field such as frequency, polarization and incident direction. The emphasis is on problems that need to be solved rapidly to accurately simulate the interaction of scattered fields under parametric variation, e.g., for design, detection, or uncertainty quantification. For such problems, the use of a brute force approach is often ruled out due to the computational cost associated with solving the problem for each parameter value.In this work, we propose an iterative reduced basis method based on a boundary element discretization of few reference scatterers to resolve the computationally challenging large scale problem. The approach includes (i) a computationally intensive offline procedure to create a selection of a set of snapshot parameters and the construction of an associated reduced basis for each reference scatterer and (ii) an inexpensive online algorithm to generate the surface current and scattered field of the parametrized configuration, for any choice of parameters within the parameter domains used in the offline procedure. Comparison of our numerical results with directly measured results for some benchmark configurations demonstrate the power of our method to rapidly simulate the interacting electromagnetic fields under parametric variation of the overall multiple particle configuration.     

Non-Gaussian scattering by a random phase screen

A theoretical investigation of non-Gaussian scattering by a smoothly varying deep random phase screen is presented. New analytical results, valid for arbitrary illuminated area, are derived for the contrast of the intensity pattern in the Fraunhofer region and the effect of two scale sizes in the screen is calculated.     

Gustav Mie and the fundamental concept of electromagnetic scattering by particles: A perspective

This tutorial review provides a general discussion of the fundamental concept of electromagnetic scattering by particles and particle groups and dispels certain widespread yet profoundly confusing misconceptions.     

Light scattering by Gaussian random ellipsoid particles: First results with discrete-dipole approximation

We introduce the stochastic geometry of a Gaussian random ellipsoid (GE) and, with the discrete-dipole approximation, carry out preliminary computations for light scattering by wavelength-scale GE particles. In the GE geometry, we describe the base ellipsoid by the three semiaxes a?b?c. The axial ratios b:a and c:a appear as two shape parameters additional to those of the Gaussian random sphere geometry (GS). We compare the scattering characteristics of GE particles to those of ellipsoids. Introducing irregularities on ellipsoids smoothens the angular scattering characteristics, in a way analogous to the smoothening of spherical particle characteristics in the case of GS particles.     

Null-field method with discrete sources to electromagnetic scattering from composite objects

A novel formulation for improving the numerical stability of the null-field method for highly elongated and flattened composite scatterers is presented. The key step in this approach is to approximate the surface current densities by the lowest-order multipoles located in the complex plane. The accuracy of the proposed method is investigated from a numerical point of view.     

Wave scattering by discrete breathers

We present a theoretical study of linear wave scattering in one-dimensional nonlinear lattices by intrinsic spatially localized dynamic excitations or discrete breathers. These states appear in various nonlinear systems and present a time-periodic localized scattering potential for plane waves. We consider the case of elastic one-channel scattering, when the frequencies of incoming and transmitted waves coincide, but the breather provides with additional spatially localized ac channels whose presence may lead to various interference patterns. The dependence of the transmission coefficient on the wave number q and the breather frequency Omega(b) is studied for different types of breathers: acoustic and optical breathers, and rotobreathers. We identify several typical scattering setups where the internal time dependence of the breather is of crucial importance for the observed transmission properties.     

TM scattering by a perfect electromagnetic conducting strip

Analytic solution to the problem of scattering by an infinitely long perfect electromagnetic conducting (PEMC) strip is obtained using the method of separation of variables. The scattering widths can be enhanced/reduced by choosing appropriate values of PEMC admittance.     

New recursive solution of the problem of scattering of electromagnetic radiation by multilayer spheroidal particles

A new recursive algorithm for the solution of the problem of scattering of light (of an arbitrarily polarized plane electromagnetic wave) by multilayer confocal spheroidal particles is constructed. This approach preserves the advantages of the two approaches proposed earlier by us for single-layer and two-layer spheroids (special choice of scalar potentials and utilization of the basis of wave spheroidal harmonics) and for homogeneous axially symmetric particles (formulation of the problem in terms of surface integral equations, calculation of the potentials inside the particle from the potentials of the incident radiation, and calculation of the potentials of the scattered radiation from the potentials inside the particle). In the case of multilayer particles, the potential inside each shell is a sum of two terms. The first has the properties of the incident radiation (no singularities inside the volume enclosed by the external boundary of the shell), whereas the second term has the properties of the scattered radiation (satisfies the radiation conditions at infinity). Therefore, as the calculation progresses from one layer to the next (from the core to the outer shell), the dimensionality of the reduced linear matrix equations for the unknown expansion coefficients of the scattered field potentials does not increase with respect to the case of a homogeneous spheroid. The algorithm is particularly simple and lucid (as far as possible for such a complex problem). In the case of spherical multilayer particles, the solution can be found explicitly.     

强电磁脉冲信号激励下复杂目标的散射

用时域有限差分法仿真了某飞行器缩比模型及该模型涂敷雷达吸波材料的散射特性,得到了鼻锥方向、侧向和后向ns级脉冲激励下模型的时域响应和频域雷达散射截面;并在外场用ns级脉冲源进行了该金属模型的探测实验。仿真与外场实验结果均得到了模型的鼻锥方向回波幅度最小,侧向最大;鼻锥方向回波脉宽最宽,侧向最窄的结论。研究结果表明：外形隐身和材料隐身对ns或亚ns级窄脉冲的隐身效果不明显,ns或亚ns级窄脉冲能发现和识别隐身目标。     

强电磁脉冲信号激励下复杂目标的散射

 用时域有限差分法仿真了某飞行器缩比模型及该模型涂敷雷达吸波材料的散射特性,得到了鼻锥方向、侧向和后向ns级脉冲激励下模型的时域响应和频域雷达散射截面;并在外场用ns级脉冲源进行了该金属模型的探测实验。仿真与外场实验结果均得到了模型的鼻锥方向回波幅度最小,侧向最大;鼻锥方向回波脉宽最宽,侧向最窄的结论。研究结果表明：外形隐身和材料隐身对ns或亚ns级窄脉冲的隐身效果不明显,ns或亚ns级窄脉冲能发现和识别隐身目标。