Scattering direction sampling methods for polarized Monte Carlo simulation of oceanic lidar

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Computational Physics
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Monte Carlo techniques are crucial for polarized light simulation.
• Oceanic lidar requires efficient scattering sampling for atmosphere-ocean coupling simulations.
• Existing methods include scalar sampling and polarized sampling (one- and two-point rejection).

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the optimal scattering sampling method for oceanic lidar simulation.
• To compare the performance of different sampling strategies in polarized light simulation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a polarized Monte Carlo model.
• Simulated Mie, Rayleigh, and Petzold average-particle scattering.
• Validated the model against established programs, showing <1% error in Stokes reflectance/transmittance for Mie scattering.

Main Results:

• Scattering sampling methods vary in runtime, scattering angle distribution, and Stokes reflectance/transmittance.
• Differences in Stokes parameters are acceptable for current oceanic lidar accuracy.
• Runtime is the primary factor for method selection.

Conclusions:

• The one-point rejection and scalar sampling methods are preferable for oceanic lidar polarized simulation.
• Scalar sampling is advantageous in complex atmosphere-ocean systems due to its independence from incident Stokes vector.