Light scattering from particulate surfaces in geometrical optics approximation

Abstract

Measurements of light scattered from particulate surfaces provide information about the composition and structure of the surfaces. An obvious way to characterize the scattering properties is to consider how the brightness and polarization of scattering depend on the wavelength λ of incident light and the geometry of observations. The geometry is often characterized by the phase angle α which is defined as the source-object-detector angle. Instead of α the scattering angle θ = π − α is used also. The plane defined by the light source, scattering object and detector is called the scattering plane. The method of optical remote sensing of particulate surfaces is based on the measurements of the characteristics as functions of λ and α. The problem of theoretical interpretation of this kind of data is not solved at present. Numerical modeling based on the geometric optics (GO) approximation can be efficient for some practical applications. In chapter we give an introduction to the past and current status of the theoretical methods and GO simulation results achieved for media consisting of particles large compared to the wavelength of incident light.