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Investigating the optical translucency of Spectralon using BSSRDF measurements
Applied Optics
|September 14, 2023
Summary
Spectralon, a standard for diffuse reflectance calibration, exhibits translucency at small scales (<1 mm). This subsurface light scattering can cause errors, limiting its reliability for calibrating instruments measuring small optical quantities.
Area of Science:
- Optical Science
- Radiometry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Translucent materials exhibit subsurface light propagation, affecting reflectance.
- Bidirectional Scattering-Surface Reflectance Distribution Function (BSSRDF) characterizes these optical properties.
- Spectralon is a common diffuse reflectance standard, assumed to be opaque.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the translucency of Spectralon at small scales.
- To determine the impact of subsurface scattering on Spectralon's calibration reliability.
- To characterize Spectralon's BSSRDF experimentally.
Main Methods:
- Experimental measurement of Spectralon's BSSRDF.
- Utilized a goniospectrophotometer with a spatial scanning system.
- Analyzed reflectance properties at scales below 1 mm.
Main Results:
- Spectralon demonstrates translucent properties at scales below 1 mm.
- Subsurface light propagation was observed in Spectralon.
- The material's reliability as a calibration artifact is scale-dependent.
Conclusions:
- Spectralon is not an opaque material at micro-scales.
- Calibration using Spectralon requires careful consideration of illumination and observation area separation (>1 mm).
- Instrument calibration for small surfaces may require alternative standards or methods.
