Imaging and multiple scattering through media containing optically active particles

This paper examines the behaviour of polarized light scattered by a medium containing small chiral spheroidal particles. We show that for single scattering the observed phenomena of optical activity may be interpreted in terms of an averaged Mueller matrix and describe how the degree of polarization is affected by such a medium. The polarization properties of multiply scattered light by chiral particles are considered through the use of Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that the effects of chirality under multiple scattering can be interpreted as an order-preserving influence in a disordered system and that this influence can, in principle, be exploited for the purposes of imaging.     

切比雪夫雾霾粒子的紫外光散射偏振特性研究

雾霾天气已严重影响人们的日常生活,通过检测雾霾粒子的紫外光散射偏振特性可以有效分析雾霾成因。矿物粒子、灰尘粒子等雾霾颗粒均有小规模表面粗糙度的形态学特征,因此可用切比雪夫粒子作为模型分析。“日盲”紫外光与切比雪夫雾霾粒子相互作用发生散射,散射光偏振特性可反演切比雪夫雾霾颗粒物理性质(如粒子尺寸参数、复杂折射率、粒子形变、波纹参数)。采用紫外光单次散射模型和T矩阵方法,仿真分析切比雪夫雾霾粒子物理参数与散射光偏振特性(Stokes矢量和偏振度)之间的关系,结果表明：粒径对散射光Stokes矢量Is和Qs随散射角的变化趋势影响很大,粒子的粒径和复杂折射率虚部的变化会造成散射光偏振度随散射角的变化趋势的改变;具体分析散射角度为10°时,得到粒径对Is和Qs的数值影响最大,当粒径r<1 μm时,Is随粒径呈现抛物线趋势;切比雪夫粒子形变的增大,Is呈现先增大后减小的趋势。     

Coherency matrix description for statistical linear regression of Stokes parameters in rough small-particle scattering

A statistical analysis of the Stokes parameters in light scattering by randomly rough small particles shows a linear regression law between the squares of the first two components I_s and Q_s of the Stokes vector. While the coefficients of this linear regression contain physical characteristics of the particles, they cannot be directly interpreted in terms of the degree of polarization of the scattered field. We propose an interpretation of this relationship between the Stokes parameters on the basis of the general coherence-density matrix formalism. The link between the statistical regression results and the polarization properties of the stochastic scattered components of the field is established through the coherency matrix elements.     

Optical characterization of metallic aerosols

Airborne metallic particulates from industry and urban sources are highly conducting aerosols. The characterization of these pollutant particles is important for environment monitoring and protection. Because these metallic particulates are highly reflective, their effect on local weather or regional radiation budget may also need to be studied. In this work, light scattering characteristics of these metallic aerosols are studied using exact solutions on perfectly conducting spherical and cylindrical particles. It is found that for perfectly conducting spheres and cylinders, when scattering angle is larger than 90° the linear polarization degree of the scattered light is very close to zero. This light scattering characteristics of perfectly conducting particles is significantly different from that of other aerosols. When these perfectly conducting particles are immersed in an absorbing medium, this light scattering characteristics does not show significant change. Therefore, measuring the linear polarization of scattered lights at backward scattering angles can detect and distinguish metallic particulates from other aerosols. This result provides a great potential of metallic aerosol detection and monitoring for environmental protection.     

Effect of electric field on light scattering by aqueous colloids of diamond and graphite

We present the results of our experimental investigation of light scattering by polydisperse colloids of diamond and graphite. The scattering is studied at a random orientation of particles and in an external radiofrequency electric field, which orients particles along the strength. The average dimensions of particles in both colloids are close to each other and comparable with the wavelength of the incident light. The shape of particles and the optical and electrooptical properties of diamond and graphite colloids are significantly different. We analyze the polarization components of scattered light energy when the light incident on the colloids is linearly polarized. We show that the quadrupole light scattering by isotropic diamond particles has the main effect on angular dependences of depolarization of scattered light. For light scattering by anisotropic graphite particles, the depolarization of scattered light is mainly determined by a particular feature of the dipole scattering of particles. It is shown that, in both colloids, the orientational order of particles considerably reduces the depolarization of light scattered by particles. We show that relative changes in the intensity and depolarization of scattered light, which depend on the scattering angle and polarization direction of light, as well as on the parameters of particles, can be used as a measure of electrooptical effects observed in colloids.     

Polarization correlations in two-dimensional random media

Abstract

Second-order polarization correlation functions, both theoretical and experimental, are presented for optical waves propagating through a highly random multiple-scattering two-dimensional (2D) medium. For normal incidence and scattering, a 2D medium is found to be fully described by two material parameters, one of which is complex. Simple formulae are developed for these parameters in terms of the anisotropy of the medium and the scattering mean free path. General theoretical expressions are given for polarized and unpolarized correlation functions and also for the intensity statistics of the scattered light for arbitrary input polarization states. Experimental data are presented for both types of correlation function and for the intensity statistics, and are found to be in reasonably good agreement with the theory.     

Interference effects in backscattering of light by a layer of a discrete random medium

Multiple backscattering of light by a layer of a discrete random medium is considered. A brief derivation of equations for describing the coherent and incoherent components of scattered light is presented. These equations are solved numerically in the approximation of doubled scattering of light by a semi-infinite medium of spherical scatterers having a size comparable with the wavelength in order to study the effect of the properties of particles on the angular dependence of interference effects. Calculations show that the half-width of the interference peak decreases upon an increase in lateral scattering by particles and that the degree of polarization has a complex angular dependence on the properties of the particles. For an optically thin layer of the medium, the relations defining the interference peak half-width and the scattering angle upon extreme linear polarization as functions of the effective refractive index are given.     

The effect of the optical anisotropy of scattering media on the polarization state of scattered light

The effect of the optical anisotropy of scattering media on the polarization state of scattered light is studied. The study is performed using a simple polarization method based on the comparison of the spectral composition of the co-and cross-polarized components of transmitted light measured for samples differently oriented with respect to the plane of polarization of probe linearly polarized light. The experimental results obtained are interpreted theoretically in terms of ordinary methods used in optics of birefringent media. Using rat skin as an example, it is shown that surface tissues can be characterized by a high degree of orientational order of the local optical axis of a medium within large areas (with a size of 5 mm or more), which manifests itself in macroscopic optical measurements. In such measurements in the spectral range 550–700 nm, whole rat skin behaves as a partially depolarized phase plate with a difference between the principal refractive indices Δn ≈ 0.00023.     

偏振相移与相位共轭结合的散射光聚焦技术研究

散射介质对光的随机散射作用是制约其光学聚焦和成像的重要因素，光学相位共轭技术能够通过对散射光场共轭还原实现透过散射介质的光学聚焦和成像，其中散射光场相位的获取是共轭还原的核心。阐述了偏振相移的基本原理，将偏振相移与相位共轭技术相结合，设计了新的基于偏振相移的数字光学相位共轭系统。采用633 nm的HeNe激光器作为系统光源，毛玻璃作为散射介质开展散射光聚焦实验研究。实验结果表明:该装置能够成功实现透过散射介质的光学聚焦，其中聚焦点与背景光强的比值可达约400倍。     

T-matrix approach to calculating circular polarization of aggregates made of optically active materials

Optical activity is a typical property of the biological materials where left-handed amino-acids and right-handed carbohydrates dominate (so called homochirality). Observationally, optically active materials reveal themselves through the circular polarization in the light they scatter. Thus, circular polarization produced by the optically active particles can serve as a biomarker. It is known that biological (e.g. colonies of bacteria) and pre-biological (e.g. dust in comets) particles often have a complex structure that can be modeled presenting them as aggregates of small monomers. This motivated the development of the T-matrix code presented in this paper, which enables calculation of the scattering matrix - including circular polarization - of the light scattered by aggregated optically active particles. The code can be used for modeling the light scattering by biological objects (e.g. colonies of bacteria, blood cells) and for interpretation of the circular polarization produced by the cosmic dust that contains (pre)biological organic, e.g. comet dust or planetary aerosols.     

Propagation of circularly polarized light in media with large-scale inhomogeneities

Small-angle multiple scattering of circularly polarized waves in disordered systems composed of large (larger than the light wavelength) spherical particles is discussed. The equation for Stokes’s fourth parameter V — the difference between the intensities of the left-and right-hand polarized light — is shown to have the form similar to that of the scalar transport equation for intensity I, the only difference being the presence of an additional “non-small-angle” term responsible for depolarization. In the case of small-angle scattering, depolarizing collisions are relatively rare and, in contrast to the scalar case, the problem contains an additional spatial scale, namely the depolarization depth. The polarization degree and helicity of the scattered light are calculated for the case of purely elastic scattering and in the presence of absorption in the medium. For strong absorption, depolarization is shown to follow the transition to the asymptotic regime of wave propagation. The features appearing in strong (non-Born) single scattering are also discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 769–790 (March 1999)     

Multiple light scattering from a moving layer of Brownian particles: comparison with a rigid phase screen

Abstract

The temporal fluctuations in the intensity of light scattered by a moving layer of emulsions and suspensions containing Brownian particles are investigated experimentally, and a comparison is made with light scattered by a translating phase screen. The intensity fluctuations of the scattered light are detected through an imaging system, which collects the light emanating only from a limited volume in the medium. The effect of translational motion of the particle layer on the decay rate of the autocorrelation function of intensity fluctuations depends on the illuminating form of a laser beam and on the point spread function of the imaging system. The Brownian motion of the particles causes the scattered light to fluctuate more rapidly than that arising from the translating phase screen. In the multiple-scattering regime, the influence of this diffusional motion increases with an increase of the particle concentration in the layer.     

A phase sensitive optical rotation measurement in a scattered chiral medium using a Zeeman laser

A novel circular polarized optical heterodyne interferometer using a Zeeman laser to measure optical rotation both in nonscattered and scattered chiral medium is proposed. A pair of correlated orthogonal circular polarized light waves of different temporal frequency propagating in the chiral medium at different speed is studied. This results in phase retardation between circular polarized light waves of which the phase difference is proportional to the optical rotation angle of a linear polarized light in a chiral medium. In the mean time, two orthogonal circular polarized light waves can be treated as a circular polarized photon pair that is able to reduce the scattering effect in a scattered chiral medium. Then the optical rotation angle can be measured in the scattering medium. In addition, a common-path configuration with respect to circular polarized light waves immune the background noise. This further improves the sensitivity on optical rotation measurement based on phase difference detection.     

Optical properties and origin of infrared light scattering centers in undoped semi-insulating GaAs crystals

The wavelength dependence and polarization characteristics of the infrared light scattered from an undoped GaAs crystal were investigated in the 90° angle infrared light scattering configuration. The scattering is Rayleigh scattering from scatterers which are always associated with the dislocations, and they are classified into three types,S, L _A , andL _G scatterers, according to their polarization characteristics. TheS, L _A , andL _G -scatterers are thought to be small As clusters, large As precipitates and large Ga precipitates, respectively.     

Polarization visualization of scattering media with CW laser radiation

The method of polarization visualization of a multiply scattering medium containing macroinhomogeneities based on analysis of polarization spatial distribution of a scattered linearly polarized light is discussed. The treatment is based on statistical properties of the effective optical path distribution of scattered field components. The influence of media scattering properties and the geometry of the experiment on the inhomogeneity image contrast obtained with use of polarization degree and of normalized scattered intensity of radiation as visualization parameters are discussed, as well as spatial resolution achieved in these both cases. Using the results of theoretical analysis and of the experimental model, the relationship between the shapes of spatial distributions of polarization degree and the intensity of the scattered light is considered as a function of the position of the visualized object (an absorbing half-plane immersed in a plane layer of the scattering medium). The opportunities for enhancing the quality of the images formed in this way are also discussed.     

Ultimate degree of residual polarization of incoherently backscattered light for multiple scattering of linearly polarized light

By invoking ideas about the distribution of the optical paths of partial components of the scattered field, we obtain an expression for estimating the degree of residual polarization of light that is incoherently backscattered from a disordered multiply scattering semi-infinite medium illuminated by linearly polarized light. In the backscattering regime, the depolarization length of the linearly polarized light in the disordered medium becomes smaller with the passage from the isotropic to anisotropic scattering. Experiments with model media featuring substantially anisotropic scattering (the anisotropy parameter of 0.90 ≤ g ≤ 0.95) demonstrated that for backscattering of linearly polarized light, the depolarization length is close to the transport length of the scattering medium.     

Polarized light-scattering measurements of dielectric spheres upon a silicon surface

The polarization of light scattered into directions out of the plane of incidence by polystyrene latex spheres upon a silicon substrate was measured for p -polarized incident light. The experimental data show good agreement with theoretical predictions for three sizes of spheres. These results demonstrate that the polarization of light scattered by particles can be used to determine the size of particulate contaminants on silicon wafers. Theoretical models, based on successive degrees of approximation, indicate that the mean distance of a particle from the surface is the primary determinant of the scattered light polarization for small out-of-plane scattering angles.     

Propagation of polarized light in media with large discrete inhomogeneities

An approximate analytical method of solution of the vector radiative-transfer equation for an optically isotropic medium with large-scale inhomogeneities is proposed. The method is based on an assumption about the distinct anisotropy of single scattering. The method was used to calculate the polarization characteristics of light multiply scattered in a monodisperse medium with large spherical particles.     

非球形粒子散射光的去偏振特性研究

目标对入射偏振光的散射特性反映了目标的属性信息。在Rayleigh散射理论的基础上，通过单层非球形粒子对入射偏振光的散射数学模型，应用矢量传输方程来计算非球形粒子散射的Mueller矩阵元，求解散射介质的偏振度，讨论在不同介质层厚度、粒子半径和探测角的条件下，非球形粒子散射光去偏振度的变化特性，给出了模拟仿真结果。该方法为研究目标的内部结构、厚度和粗糙度等特征以及目标的探测和识别提供了一种新的途径。