Numerical study of the extinction matrix for a plate crystal

Energy and polarization characteristics of optical radiation passed through a semitransparent plate crystal with a preset orientation in space are studied numerically within the framework of the method of physical optics. Results of calculations of the extinction matrix elements versus particle size, refractive index, crystal orientation, and incident radiation wavelength (from 0.5 to 15 μm) are presented. It is demonstrated that K₁₁, K₁₂, and K₃₄ are most informative among the elements of the extinction matrix. It is established that the first of them is most sensitive to changes in the microphysical and orientational parameters of the particle when the angle of radiation incidence on the plate changes from 0 to 20°, and the nondiagonal elements are most sensitive when the angle of radiation incidence is greater than 40°. The characteristics of the total field scattered near the forward direction are determined. It is established that their dependence on the physical parameters of the crystal is most strong at scattering angles smaller than or equal to 4° and wavelengths from the IR range (in particular, from the atmospheric transparency window).