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Updated: May 16, 2026

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
Simulating photon-transport in uniform media using the radiative transport equation: a study using the Neumann-series
Abhinav K Jha1, Matthew A Kupinski, Takahiro Masumura
1College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. akjha@email.arizona.edu
Abstract:
We present the implementation, validation, and performance of a Neumann-series approach for simulating light propagation at optical wavelengths in uniform media using the radiative transport equation (RTE). The RTE is solved for an anisotropic-scattering medium in a spherical harmonic basis for a diffuse-optical-imaging setup. The main objectives of this paper are threefold: to present the theory behind the Neumann-series form for the RTE, to design and develop the mathematical methods and the software to implement the Neumann series for a diffuse-optical-imaging setup, and, finally, to perform an exhaustive study of the accuracy, practical limitations, and computational efficiency of the Neumann-series method. Through our results, we demonstrate that the Neumann-series approach can be used to model light propagation in uniform media with small geometries at optical wavelengths.
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