Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

11:34
Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
11.5K
Light scattering by randomly irregular dielectric particles larger than the wavelength
Optics Letters
|November 28, 2013
Summary
We simulated light scattering by large, irregular particles. Accurate methods show geometric optics works for intensity but polarization requires larger particle sizes due to wave effects.
Area of Science:
- Computational physics
- Electromagnetism
- Optics
Background:
- Light scattering principles for particles larger than incident wavelength.
- Limitations of geometric optics approximations for wave phenomena.
- Need for accurate simulation methods in electromagnetic scattering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To simulate light scattering by randomly irregular particles.
- To compare discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) method with geometric optics (GO).
- To assess the validity of GO for scattering intensity and polarization.
Main Methods:
- Discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) method for accurate simulation.
- Modeling of randomly irregular particles with dimensions larger than the wavelength.
- Comparison of DGTD results with approximate geometric optics (GO) model.
Main Results:
- Qualitative agreement between DGTD and GO for intensity scattering at size parameter X=60.
- Polarization scattering shows greater sensitivity to wave effects.
- Geometric optics approximation requires significantly larger particle sizes for polarization accuracy.
Conclusions:
- DGTD method provides accurate simulation of light scattering.
- Geometric optics is a reasonable approximation for intensity scattering of large particles.
- Wave effects significantly impact polarization, limiting GO applicability at smaller sizes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The de Broglie Wavelength
25.7K
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
25.7K
Interference and Diffraction
28.8K
Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.
28.8K
The Wave Nature of Light
46.2K
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
46.2K
Scanning Electron Microscopy
5.1K
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to study the surface features of a sample by using an electron beam that scans the sample surface in a two-dimensional manner. Typically, areas between ~1 centimeter to 5 micrometers in width can be imaged. SEM can be used to image bacteria, viruses, tissues as well as larger samples like insects. Conventional SEM gives a magnification ranging from 20X to 30,000X and spatial resolution of 50 to 100 nanometers.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
5.1K
Electromagnetic Waves in Matter
2.8K
Electromagnetic waves can travel in the vacuum as well as in matter. For example light, which is an electromagnetic wave, can travel through air, water, or glass.
Consider the electromagnetic wave passing through a dielectric medium. In such a case, Maxwell's equations get modified. In Ampere's law, ε0 , the dielectric permittivity of free space is replaced with ε, the permittivity of dielectric. Also, the vacuum permeability μ0 is replaced by the permeability of the medium,...
Consider the electromagnetic wave passing through a dielectric medium. In such a case, Maxwell's equations get modified. In Ampere's law, ε0 , the dielectric permittivity of free space is replaced with ε, the permittivity of dielectric. Also, the vacuum permeability μ0 is replaced by the permeability of the medium,...
2.8K
Determination of Crystal Structures
138
In the late 1800s, the revelation that light extended beyond visible wavelengths led to the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. Recognized as high-energy electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths, X-rays prompted exploration into their interaction with crystals. Max von Laue proposed in 1912 that the periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystals would cause them to diffract X-rays, a hypothesis confirmed through experiments with copper sulfate and zinc sulfide...
138

