Abstract

Light scattering by a macroscopically anisotropic volume element, which consists of arbitrarily shaped particles with an arbitrary square-integrable probability-density function over orientations, is considered. The T-matrix approach and the quantum theory of angular momentum are used to develop a rigorous analytical method (in terms of the T matrix) for computing the extinction matrix; the extinction, scattering, and absorption cross sections; and the elements of the Mueller matrix of the volume element. The constructive theorem of the existence of the expansion of scattering-matrix elements in a series of Wigner functions for a medium with rotation symmetry is proved. The analytical results are generalized for incident radiation composed of incoherent plane waves with a square-integrable probability-density function over directions of propagation, intensities, and polarization states.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

Orientational averaging of light-scattering observables in the T-matrix approach

Nikolai G. Khlebtsov
Appl. Opt. 31(25) 5359-5365 (1992)

Light scattering by arbitrarily oriented rotationally symmetric particles

Nikolaos C. Skaropoulos and Herman W. J. Russchenberg
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19(8) 1583-1591 (2002)

Light scattering by randomly oriented axially symmetric particles

M. I. Mishchenko
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 8(6) 871-882 (1991)

Scattering Mueller matrix of an ensemble of variously shaped small particles

Yu-lin Xu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 20(11) 2093-2105 (2003)

Calculation of the T matrix and the scattering matrix for ensembles of spheres

Daniel W. Mackowski and Michael I. Mishchenko
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 13(11) 2266-2278 (1996)