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The Scattered Light Imaging Method (SLIM) was applied to measure the nonlinear refractive index of scattering media. The measurements are based on the analysis of the side-view images of the laser beam propagating inside highly scattering liquid suspensions. Proof-of-principle experiments were performed with colloids containing silica nanoparticles that behave as light scatterers. The technique allows measurements with lasers operating with arbitrary repetition rate as well as in the single-shot regime. The new method shows advantages and complementarity with respect to the Z-scan technique which is not appropriate to characterize scattering media.

Using the precise mid field angular distribution model of the LED light source and the optical scattering surface property of the Harvey BSDF scattering model, we perform optical simulation to develop and design a novel solid plastic optical lens with freeform inner surface to achieve the optical performance of 89.89% light energy transmission optics for the sake of energy saving reason. The 70 degrees angular light distribution pattern defined at full width half maximum (FWHM) light energy level is performed and the optical utilization factor (OUF) of 51.8% is obtained within -45 degrees and 45 degrees range in the areas of interest with glare reduced for the down light illumination.

We propose an accurate and easy-to-use three-dimensional measurement method using a diffuser plate to analyze the scattering characteristics of optical films. The far-field radiation pattern of light scattered by the optical film is obtained from the illuminance pattern created on the diffuser plate by the light. A mathematical model and calibration methods were described, and the results were compared with those obtained by a direct measurement using a luminance meter. The new method gave very precise three-dimensional polarization-dependent scattering characteristics of scattering polarizer films, and it can play an effective role in developing high performance polarization-selective screens for 3D display applications.

We report on the polarization dependence of the optical limiting and nonlinear light scattering in nanodiamond clusters suspended in distilled water. The nanosecond Z-scan measurements at a wavelength of 532 nm reveal that the nonlinear transmittance of the suspension is independent of polarization, while the energy of the light pulses scattered at 90 deg shows a cosine-like dependence on the polarization azimuth of the incident beam. Moreover, the ratio of the energies of the vertically and horizontally polarized scattered pulses is a nonmonotonous function of the input fluence. The obtained results can be explained in terms of the change of scattering center size under the laser action and are in agreement with the predictions of the Rayleigh–Mie scattering theory.

In this Letter, we present a simple method to avoid the well-known spurious contributions in the Brillouin light scattering (BLS) spectrum arising from the finite aperture of collection optics. The method relies on the use of special spatial filters able to select the scattered light with arbitrary precision around a given value of the momentum transfer (Q). We demonstrate the effectiveness of such filters by analyzing the BLS spectra of a reference sample as a function of scattering angle. This practical and inexpensive method could be an extremely useful tool to fully exploit the potentiality of Brillouin acoustic spectroscopy, as it will easily allow for effective Q-variable experiments with unparalleled luminosity and resolution.

We show that the multiple scattering events taking place inside a highly scattering medium, in conjunction with wavefront shaping, can be used to control the state of polarization of the light transmitted through a highly scattering medium. This control is achieved by using the intensity, phase, and polarization changing behavior of a scattering medium captured by a vector transmission matrix (VTM). We use a single beam incident upon a scattering medium to measure the absolute value of the VTM elements, in contrast to the multiple beams required in our previously reported approach. Further, the phase-only spatial light modulator based on a low-cost (< US$600) deformable micro-mirror array used in our work will make similar experiments accessible to other researchers.

The spectro-angular light scattering measurements of individual microscopic objects are presented. Using spectroscopic quantitative phase microscopy and Fourier transform light scattering, the 2D angle-resolved light scattering intensity and phase patterns are measured in a spectral range of 450-750 nm and an angular range of -70-70. The spectro-angular light scattering measurements of individual polystyrene beads are demonstrated with high sensitivity and precision. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America

A simple, surprisingly accurate, method for estimating the influence of Raman scattering on the upwelling light field in natural waters is developed. The method is based on the single (or quasi-single) scattering solution of the radiative transfer equation with the Raman source function. Given the light field at the excitation wavelength, accurate estimates (~1-10%) of the contribution of Raman scattering to the light field at the emission wavelength are obtained. The accuracy is only slightly degraded when typically measured aspects of the light field at the excitation are available.

We present results of simulation of light scattering by randomly irregular particles that have dimensions larger than the wavelength of incident light. We apply the discontinuous Galerkin time domain method and compare the accurate solution with that obtained using an approximate geometric-optics model. A qualitative agreement is observed for scattering angle curves of intensity at the size parameter of X=60, whereas angular dependence of polarization appears to be more sensitive to the wave effects and requires larger sizes for application of geometrical optics.

The angular light scattering profile of microscopic particles significantly depends on their morphological parameters, such as size and shape. This dependency is widely used in state-of-the-art flow cytometry methods for particle classification. We introduce a new spectrally encoded angular light scattering method, with potential application in scanning flow cytometry. We show that a one-to-one wavelength-to-angle mapping enables the measurement of the angular dependence of scattered light from microscopic particles over a wide dynamic range. Improvement in dynamic range is obtained by equalizing the angular dependence of scattering via wavelength equalization. Continuous angular spectrum is obtained without mechanical scanning enabling single-shot measurement. Using this information, particle morphology can be determined with improved accuracy. We derive and experimentally verify an analytic wavelength-to-angle mapping model, facilitating rapid data processing. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the method's capability of distinguishing differently sized polystyrene beads. The combination of this technique with time-stretch dispersive Fourier transform offers real-time and high-throughput (high frame rate) measurements and renders the method suitable for integration in standard flow cytometers.

The far-zone scattered spectrum has been investigated for the scattering of two correlated sources from a deterministic medium. It is shown that red shift or blue shift can be produced in the far-zone scattered spectrum, and the spectral shift is influenced by the source correlation.

We demonstrate controlled wavelength-dependent light focusing through turbid media using wavefront shaping. Due to the dispersion caused by multiple light scattering, light propagation through turbid media can be independently controlled between different wavelengths. Foci with various wavelengths can be generated by applying different optimized wavefronts to a highly scattering layer. Given the linearity of the transmission matrix, multiple foci with different wavelengths can also be simultaneously constructed.

Analysis of the structure functions of intensity fluctuations of scattered laser light was applied to monitor the phase separation in probed disperse media. UV-cured mixtures of a liquid crystal and prepolymer were studied during the formation of the structure of dispersive polymer-liquid crystal (DPLC) composites. The experimentally observed features of light beating induced by dynamic light scattering in DPLC systems (the scaling properties of the structure functions, the narrowing of the beating spectrum for certain weight fractions of the liquid-crystalline component) were interpreted in terms of the discrete scattering model using the results of statistical modeling.

Multiangle dynamic light scattering (MDLS) can provide better results for particle size distribution (PSD) determination than single-angle dynamic light scattering. Proper analysis of MDLS data requires data from each measurement angle to be appropriately weighted according to the intensity scattered by the particles at each scattering angle. The angular weighting coefficients may be determined by measuring the angular dependence of the scattered light intensity or estimated in various ways. In either case, any noise on the weighting coefficients will adversely affect the PSD determination. We propose a new iterative recursion method for estimating the weighting coefficients and demonstrate its effectiveness for recovering PSDs from both simulated and real experimental data. The new method gives better PSD results than those found using other weighting estimates. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Optical tweezers can be used to manipulate small objects and cells. A trap can be used to fix the position of a particle during light scattering measurements. The places of two separately trapped particles can also be changed. In this Letter we present elastic light scattering measurements as a function of scattering angle when two trapped spheres are illuminated with a He-Ne laser. This setup is suitable for trapping noncharged homogeneous spheres. We also demonstrate measurement of light scattering patterns from two separately trapped red blood cells. Two different illumination schemes are used for both samples.

A theory has been developed for the resonance elastic scattering of light in Bragg structures (one-dimensional photonic crystals) with randomly rough interfaces. The spectral and angular dependences of the scattering distribution of light are investigated, expressed in terms of the statistical parameters of the interfaces. The diffuse reflection spectra of light with different linear polarizations are studied numerically, and the shape of the spectra is analyzed. It is established that the diffuse component of the reflected light is resonantly amplified in the spectral region of the stop-zone edges. The elastic scattering spectra demonstrate a strong dependence on the polarization of the light and on the angles of incidence and scattering. It is shown that, in the case of p-polarized light, the diffuse component of the reflected light can be completely suppressed by appropriately choosing the angles of incidence and scattering.

Remote detection and characterization of laser beams propagating in maritime atmospheres is discussed. A model for off-axis scattered laser light based on Mie scattering from maritime aerosols is presented and compared with angle and time-resolved measurements from a pulsed laser source. We demonstrate that the direction of the source can be determined from the angle-resolved intensity and that the beam direction can be determined from arrival times of the scattered signals if the position of the laser source is known.

A recent paper described experiments completed to study the effect of scattering on the propagation of modulated light in laboratory tank water [Appl. Opt.48, 2607 (2009)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.48.002607]. Those measurements were limited to a specific scattering agent (Maalox antacid) with a fixed scattering albedo (0.95). The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of different scattering agents and scattering albedos on modulated light propagation in water. The results show that the scattering albedo affects the number of attenuation lengths that the modulated optical signal propagates without distortion, while the type of scattering agent affects the degree to which the modulation is distorted with increasing attenuation length.

The propagation of light through turbid media is of fundamental interest in a number of areas of optical science including atmospheric and oceanographic science, astrophysics and medicine amongst many others. The angular distribution of photons after a single scattering event is determined by the scattering phase function of the material the light is passing through. However, in many instances photons experience multiple scattering events and there is currently no equivalent function to describe the resulting angular distribution of photons. Here we present simple analytic formulas that describe the angular distribution of photons after multiple scattering events, based only on knowledge of the single scattering albedo and the single scattering phase function.

The relationship between the speckle contrast of scattered light in near field and longitudinal distance that is perpendicular to scattering surface is investigated. The experiment indicates that when using the laser illumination source with proper time coherence length, the curve of speckle contrast vs. longitudinal distance appears minimum turning point. The position and value of minimum point are decided by the coherence of light and scattering matter. It is easy to obtain the correlation area of scattered light by measuring the minimum point position and the illuminated area. Comparing to traditional scattering technique, this method can simultaneously measure the roughness parameters of surface height variance and surface height correlation area.

A procedure for the selective extinction of the scattered light based on "null ellipsometry" [R. M. A. Azzam and N. M. Bashara, Ellipsometry and Polarized Light (North-Holland, 1977)] is presented. The technique allows scattering measurement from individual layers of a multilayer component by extinguishing the scattered light from the other layer interfaces. The technique is easily applicable to multilayer components with nearly identical surface profiles at every interface and little significant bulk scattering. Analysis is provided to determine the conditions required to extinguish the light from the excluded interfaces isolating the scattered light from the desired interface. An analysis of sensitivity of the extinction conditions to experimental parameters and to layer optical thickness is also provided. Experimental data collected using the technique are compared with measurements made using a white-light optical surface profilometry.

Advanced science and technology frequently encounters the need to detect particles in the micrometer and nanometer range of a given composition. While the scattering process of light by small particles is well documented, most conventional analytic methods employ wide illumination of large ensembles of particles. With such an approach, no information can be obtained about single particles due to their weak interaction. In this paper, we show that single particles can be classified with respect to their material composition by analyzing the scattering pattern of a focused Gaussian beam.

The influence of surface waves and multiple scattering in water on the parameters of light pulses from an airborne source is studied. The contributions of various mechanisms to variations in delay of pulse and its variance are estimated. It is shown that waves make the main contribution to these values at small depths. With strong wind, the allowance for waves is important for small receiving apertures in the whole practically important depth range. For large receiving apertures or/and large widths of light beams incident on the surface, the determining factor is multiple scattering of light in water.

Self-amplification of weak scattered coherent light waves in photorefractive crystals leads to losses, known as light-induced scattering or holographic scattering. We find with 532 nm light that it is reduced in LiNbO3:Fe for femtosecond laser pulses as compared to cw laser light. Light-induced scattering of pulses is completely absent in samples with sufficiently small Fe2+ content, in contrast to the scattering of cw light. Additional differences include a slower buildup time, a weaker Bragg selectivity, and a narrower angular distribution of the scattered light for pulsed illumination. The differences can be attributed mainly to the smaller temporal coherence of pulses.

Pulsed radiation propagating through a layer of a scattering medium undergoes distortions caused by multiple scattering. The results of numerical calculations of pulse waveforms for media with different scattering phase functions are presented. It is demonstrated that the scattered radiation waveform is not described by diffusion theories even for sufficiently large optical thicknesses (tau approximately 10-20) but is described, as a rule, by a bimodal distribution. Only when the optical thickness significantly increases (tau100-150), the photon distribution over the free paths acquires the unimodal diffusion form.

What is believed to be a new concept for the measurement of micrometer-sized particle trajectories in an inlet air stream is introduced. The technique uses a light source and a mask to generate a spatial pattern of light within a volume in space. Particles traverse the illumination volume and elastically scatter light to a photodetector where the signal is recorded in time. The detected scattering waveform is decoded to find the particle trajectory. A design is presented for the structured laser beam, and the accuracy of the technique in determining particle position is demonstrated. It is also demonstrated that the structured laser beam can be used to measure and then correct for the spatially dependent instrument-response function of an optical-scattering-based particle-sizing system for aerosols.

We investigate the scattering and multiple scattering of a typical laser beam (lambda = 800 nm) in the intermediate scattering regime. The turbid media used in this work are homogeneous solutions of monodisperse polystyrene spheres in distilled water. The two-dimensional distribution of light intensity is recorded experimentally, and calculated via Monte Carlo simulation for both forward and side scattering. The contribution of each scattering order to the total detected light intensity is quantified for a range of different scattering phase functions, optical depths, and detection acceptance angles. The Lorentz-Mie scattering phase function for individual particles is varied by using different sphere diameters (D = 1 and 5 mum). The optical depth of the turbid medium is varied (OD = 2, 5, and 10) by employing different concentrations of polystyrene spheres. Detection angles of theta(a) = 1.5 degrees and 8.5 degrees are considered. A novel approach which realistically models the experimental laser source is employed in this paper, and very good agreement between the experimental and simulated results is demonstrated. The data presented here can be of use to validate any other modern Monte Carlo models which generate spatially resolved light intensity distributions. Finally, an effective correction procedure to the Beer-Lambert law is proposed based on the Monte Carlo calculation of the ballistic photon contribution to the total detected light intensity.

Red blood cells (RBCs) scatter light mainly in the forward direction, where the scattering phase function has a narrow peak. We performed an experimental investigation into the angular distribution of light scattered by blood in the small-angle domain. A highly diluted suspension of RBCs (hematocrits in the range 5 x 10(-5)-10(-2)) was illuminated with a He-Ne laser with 633 nm wavelength. We focused our research on two main topics: the scattering efficiency of the RBCs given by the mean scattering cross section and the scattering anisotropy obtained from the angular distribution of the scattered photons. The collimated beam transmission and the angular distribution of scattered light were measured and compared with the predictions of the effective phase function model. The RBCs' mean scattering cross section and scattering anisotropy were obtained by fitting of the experimental data.

We demonstrate a novel technique to determine the size of Mie scatterers with high sensitivity. Our technique is based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography measurements of the phase dispersion that is induced by the scattering process. We use both Mie scattering predictions and dispersion measurements of phantoms to show that the scattering dispersion is very sensitive to small changes in the size and/or refractive index of the scatterer. We also show the light scattered from a single sphere is, in some cases, non-minimum phase. Therefore, the phase is independent of the intensity of the scattered light, and both intensity and phase must be measured directly in order to characterize more completely the scattering problem. Phase dispersion measurements may have application to distinguishing the size and refractive index of scattering particles in biological tissue samples.

We quantify the maximum error due to multiple-scattering effects for an infrared scattering droplet sizing technique. Errors in Sauter mean diameters (SMDs) and liquid volume fractions were estimated based on experimentally determined polarization properties of the scattered light. Light that is multiply scattered from spherical particles becomes randomly polarized, whereas singly scattered light from a spherical particle contains no cross-polarization scattering component. Therefore measurement of the cross-polarization component (in this case parallel) of the scattering signal is a measure of the multiply scattered light. A ratio of parallel to perpendicular polarized scattered light was experimentally determined and used to calculate an error due to multiple scattering. The infrared scattering measurements and polarization measurements used to quantify the multiple-scattering errors were applied to a typical diesel spray that was injected into three different background conditions: a room ambient condition; a room-temperature, high-pressure condition; and a combusting condition. Droplet SMD, liquid volume fraction, and multiple-scattering errors were determined for a number of locations within the spray; results indicate that the combusting case is negligibly affected by multiple scattering. However, the room ambient case exhibited notable errors due to multiple scattering near the centerline of the spray, and the high-pressure case demonstrated susceptibility to multiple scattering throughout all regions investigated. It is important to note, however, that multiple-scattering errors in many cases translate into relatively small effects on the reported droplet sizes.

The scattering of laser light with wavelengths of 0.53 and 0.63 µm has been studied in single crystals of paratellurite (alpha-TeO2) by recording and analyzing images of the cross sections of beams transmitted through the samples. The scattering of light with wavelengths 2-25 µm has been investigated in germanium crystals, using a method based on an integrating sphere and a spectrophotometric method. It is established that there is small-angle Mie scattering with the corresponding resonances in both materials. Based on data concerning the resonance frequencies, as well the form of the distributions, conclusions are drawn concerning the size, concentrations, and physical nature of the characteristic scattering inhomogeneities in the crystals. © 2005 Optical Society of America

In recent years there has been great interest in controlling the speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves. In gases and crystals, coherent techniques have been applied to alter the speed of light without changing the physical or chemical structure of the medium. Also, light transmitted by highly disordered solids has exhibited signatures of Anderson localization, indicating the existence of a regime of “stopped” light that is mediated by random elastic scattering. However, to date, light has not been generated in a random medium as a pointlike excitation that is fixed in space from the outset. Here we report experimental evidence for the electrical generation and confinement of light within nanosized volumes of a random dielectric scattering medium in which a population inversion has been established, and discuss the properties of these novel light sources.

Results are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of using polarization discrimination to improve visibility when imaging in a scattering medium. The study is motivated by the desire to improve visibility depth in turbid environments, such as the sea. Most previous research in this area has concentrated on the active illumination of objects with polarized light. We consider passive or ambient illumination, such as that deriving from sunlight or a cloudy sky. The basis for the improvements in visibility observed is that single scattering by small particles introduces a significant amount of polarization into light at scattering angles near 90 degrees: This light can then be distinguished from light scattered by an object that remains almost completely unpolarized. Results were obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation and from a small-scale experiment in which an object was immersed in a cell filled with polystyrene latex spheres suspended in water. In both cases, the results showed an improvement in contrast and visibility depth for obscuration that was due to Rayleigh particles, but less improvement was obtained for larger scatterers.

For spheres of size a larger than light wavelength λ the Mie series converges slowly, and ordinary computations cannot provide enough (say, 100) significant digits. A digit array is proposed to overcome this inconvenience. This method transforms a number into an array of digits, and operations are performed with respect to individual digits. It implies that the number of significant digits could be as many as necessary. With this method, patterns of light scattering from moderate particles, whose size parameter q=(2π/λ)a ranges from 0.01 to 500, are computed for different relative refractive indices nd/n0(nd and n0 are, respectively, refractive indices of the sphere and the surrounding medium) and are compared with previous results.

We performed experiments to study the extinction, scattering, and polarization of light by ensembles of fractal dust aggregates that consist of spherical monomers large compared with the wavelength. Extinction was measured on a homogeneous dust cloud. Scattering and polarization were measured on a collimated dust beam. We found that polarization and extinction are determined only by a small size scale that is defined by a monomer and its closest neighbors in an aggregate. The scattering function might also depend on the overall size of the aggregate or the total number of monomers in an aggregate.

The purpose of this work is to investigate the light-scattering properties of excised eye lenses with intact lens capsules--more specifically, to compare light scattering with light transmission at different wavelengths in aging and cataractous lenses. A lens is positioned at its focal-length distance from an optical fiber end and collimates the light from one of five laser lines (458-633 nm). By use of an integrating sphere with an extra circular port, the collimated directly transmitted light can be separated from the scattered light. For lenses with low light-scattering levels, integrated scattering showed a dependence on wavelength, but when light scattering increased the wavelength difference tended to level out. Despite the higher percentage of lens light scattering at lower wavelengths, when calculated as an "effective light scattering" (compensated for light transmission), more scattered light actually falls toward the retina at longer wavelengths.

We show that the two-point correlation function in the near field of scattered light is simply related to the scattered intensity distribution. We present a new, to our knowledge, optical scheme to measure the correlation function in the near field, and we describe a processing technique that permits the subtraction of stray light on a statistical basis. We present experimental data for solutions of latex spheres, and we show that this novel technique is a powerful alternative to static light scattering. © 2001 Optical Society of America.

Wavelength-dependent elastic-scattering spectra of highly scattering media measured with only a single fiber for both light delivery and collection are presented. White light is used as a source, and oscillations of the detected light intensities are seen as a function of wavelength. The maximum and minimum of the oscillations can be used to determine scatterer size for monodisperse distributions of spheres when the refractive indices are known. In addition, several properties of the probe relevant to tissue diagnosis are examined and discussed including the effects of absorption, a broad distribution of scatterers, and the depth probed.

We studied forward-scattered laser light that is produced when the light strikes an abrupt interface (air bubble in water) and when it passes unimpeded through diffused water layers caused by temperature gradients. Measured intensities of the scattered light indicated patterns that are due to both geometrical and physical optics. Distribution of intensities within the scattered beam changed with the average vertical temperature gradient. Shifts in locations of intensities indicated small changes in the index of refraction in the diffused scattering case.

Commercial aerodynamic particle sizing instruments generally achieve the desired particle size measurement by accelerating a sample airstream in which the particles are suspended and measuring the velocity acquired by individual particles. The accelerating flow regime can cause liquid droplets to deform and this subsequently introduces errors. In this paper, we present an apparatus that enables droplet deformation to be observed by recording the spatial light scatter intensity. The paper presents experimental data in video format showing the changes that occur in the light scattering from droplets as a function of increasing flow rate/deformation.

Light scattering in large noble gas clusters irradiated by intense laser pulses was studied and compared to absorption measurements. The scattering signal shows the presence of a peak, when the pulse width was varied, similar to one previously reported in absorption measurements. The peak of the scattering, however, occurs at a longer pulse width than for absorption. This result disagrees with a simple simulation and may be due to propagation or non-linear effects not included in the model.

We demonstrate a new design for a light-scattering microscope that is convenient to use and that allows simultaneous imaging and light scattering. The design is motivated by the growing use of thermal fluctuations to probe the viscoelastic properties of complex inhomogeneous environments. We demonstrate measurements of an optically nonergodic sample, one of the most challenging light-scattering applications.

A formula of considerable generality is derived for the spectrum of light produced by static scattering of polychromatic light on a system of particles. It applies to deterministic as well as to random distributions of monodispersed or polydispersed particles. We illustrate it by examples. It is suggested that spectral changes produced by scattering could be used for determining the structure of some scattering systems.

Anisotropy in the polarization of the backscattered light from a polarized laser beam incident upon a scattering medium has been observed experimentally. When the beam is viewed through an oriented polarizer, characteristic patterns in the backscattered light are observed. We present here a simple explanation of these patterns, using the theory of incoherent scattering of light by spheres. It appears that the major contribution to the observed patterns comes from the double scattering of light.

Dynamic low-coherence interferometry was used to measure Brownian motion of submicrometer particles within highly scattering media. Strong rejection of multiply scattered light was obtained by combination of a coherence gate with a confocal microscope, thus allowing particle characterization methods generally reserved for optically dilute materials to be applied to optically concentrated suspensions. The Brownian diffusion coefficient of highly scattering media was determined with an accuracy better than 5%. Furthermore, we show that spatial variations in the Brownian diffusion coefficient can be imaged with an axial resolution determined by the coherence length of the light source (~30 mum) . The experiments also show broadening of the power spectrum as a function of depth into the sample, most likely as a result of detecting multiply scattered light.

We report on the development of a method that records spatially dependent intensity patterns of polarized light that is diffusely backscattered from highly scattering media. It is demonstrated that these intensity patterns can be used to differentiate turbid media, such as polystyrene-sphere and biological-cell suspensions. Our technique employs polarized light from a He-Ne laser (λ = 543 nm), which is focused onto the surface of the scattering medium. A surface area of approximately 4x4 cm centered on the light input point is imaged through polarization-analysis optics onto a CCD camera. One can observe a large variety of intensity patterns by varying the polarization state of the incident laser light and changing the analyzer configuration to detect different polarization components of the backscattered light. Introducing the Mueller-matrix concept for diffusely backscattered light, a framework is provided to select a subset of measurements that comprehensively describe the optical properties of backscattering media.

We have further developed and improved the prototype oceanic Fraunhofer line discriminator by using a well-protected fiber-optic-wire cable and in-water electronic housing. We conducted a series of in situ measurements in clear ocean water in the Florida Straits. By comparing the reduced data with the Monte Carlo simulation results, we verify the Raman scattering coefficient B(r) with an excitation wavelength at 488 nm to be 2.6 x 10(-4) m(-1) [Appl. Opt. 29, 71-84 (1990)], as opposed to 14.4 x 10(-4) m(-1) [Appl. Opt.14, 2116-2120 (1975)]. The wavelength dependence of the Raman scattering coefficient is found to have an insignificant effect on the in-water light field. We also discuss factors that lead to errors. This study can be used as a basis for inelastic light scattering in the radiative transfer theory and will allow other inelastic light, e.g., fluorescence, to be detected with in situ measurements.

A method for calculating the angular and optical depth dependencies of diffuse radiation in light scattering and absorbing particulate media is established. From the Lorenz-Mie theory, the coeffici ...

A simple light-scattering photometer has been designed to measure the angular distribution of the intensity of polarized laser light scattered by micrometer and submicrometer samples. The photometer uses an ellipsoidal reflector and simple optical components to collect the He-Ne laser-scattered light and to focus it onto a 512-element photodiode array. Experimental data have been obtained for several monodisperse aqueous solutions of latex spheres of different sizes. The results have been satisfactorily interpreted on the basis of the electromagnetic scattering theory. In particular the Mie formulation has been properly reformulated to take into account the corrections to the scattered intensity determined by the apparatus design making it possible to perform particle sizing.

Propagation of two extraordinarily polarized pump beams in LiNbO3:Cu crystals leads to a complicated pattern of photoinduced scattering on a viewing screen behind the sample. This pattern includes a considerable number of light rings and unclosed lines, and at some of the intersections bright light dots appear. For a scattering distance of a few millimeters the dots can contain most of the transmitted light intensity. Our theoretical study indicates that the light dots are caused by constructive interference of four different processes of parametric scattering. We show within the photovoltaic transport model that such an interference may increase the rate of exponential growth of the seed waves by a factor of 1.5–2. Good agreement between theory and experiment is demonstrated.