Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity
Published on: March 6, 2017
Time-resolved pulse propagation in a strongly scattering material
Patrick M Johnson1, Arnout Imhof, Boris P J Bret
1Van der Waals-Zeeman Instituut, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1018 XE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. P.M.Johnson@phys.uu.nl
Abstract:
Light transport in macroporous gallium phosphide, perhaps the strongest nonabsorbing scatterer of visible light, is studied using phase-sensitive femtosecond pulse interferometry. Phase statistics are measured at optical wavelengths in both reflection and transmission and compared with theory. The diffusion constant of light is measured in both reflection and transmission as a function of thickness and compared with theories for diffusive transport and localization. An unusually high energy velocity due to the bicontinuous structure of the porous network is reported. For such strongly scattering samples, we show that surface properties and the effective index of refraction need to be treated carefully.
Related Concept Videos
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
NMR Spectrometers: Radiofrequency Pulses and Pulse Sequences
Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves
Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...

