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Scattering by two spheres in contact: comparisons between discrete-dipole approximation and modal analysis
This study validates the discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) for scattering by touching spheres. The lattice dispersion relation significantly improves DDA accuracy for irregular particle scattering.
Area of Science:
- Electromagnetics
- Computational physics
- Optical scattering
Background:
- Scattering by particles is crucial in various fields like atmospheric optics and material science.
- Accurate computational methods are needed for complex particle geometries.
- The discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) is a versatile numerical technique for modeling light scattering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the exact modal analysis with the discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) for scattering by two spheres in contact.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different DDA polarizability schemes.
- To demonstrate the utility of DDA for irregular particle scattering problems.
Main Methods:
- Modal analysis (exact method).
- Discrete-Dipole Approximation (DDA) with various polarizability schemes.
- Comparison of results from both methods for scattering by two touching spheres.
Main Results:
- Modal analysis and DDA show good agreement for scattering by two spheres in contact.
- The lattice dispersion relation (LDR) provides significant improvement over the Clausius-Mossoti (CM) polarizability parameterization in DDA.
- DDA is confirmed as a useful tool for scattering by complex, irregular particles.
Conclusions:
- The discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) is a reliable method for modeling light scattering from complex particle configurations.
- The lattice dispersion relation offers a superior polarizability scheme for enhancing DDA accuracy.
- This work supports the application of DDA for simulating scattering phenomena involving irregular particles.
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