Experimental evidence and computational evidence suggest that the distribution of random segment lengths defined by the intersections of ray paths with the contorted and folded interface between two fluids mixed by turbulence follows a probability distribution with a Lévy law tail. Assuming that the two fluids have different optical properties, one finds that the statistics of light scattered by the mixing interface reflect the probability distribution for the random distances between the intersection points of straight ray paths with the interface. Examples of light-scattering calculations for limiting cases, including the planetary albedo problem and imaging through a transparent mixing layer, are discussed.

© 1996 Optical Society of America

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