Scattering of light from a stationary nonuniformly correlated medium

A mathematical model for describing a three-dimensional, nonuniformly correlated, weak scattering medium is introduced. It is assumed that the medium occupies a volume in which a relatively high degree of spatial refractive index correlation may exist in some small sub-region, whether on or off its center. Within the validity of the first-order Born approximation, the far-zone spectral density of a plane wave scattered from such a medium is determined. We find that the introduced scatterer has a remarkable capability for producing a focused peak on or off the scattering axis. It is shown that by altering the position of the high correlation center within the medium, it is possible to control the peak position and peak intensity of the scattered spectral density. For certain combinations of the average medium's correlation width and the location of the highly correlated region, the scattered spectral density (intensity) may also acquire one-dimensional sidelobes.