Identification of non-homogeneous spherical particles from their scattering matrix elements

In this paper, a procedure is described to identify the structure of inhomogeneous spherical particles using polarized light. The scattering (Mueller) matrix elements are shown to provide valuable information about the spatial variation of the optical properties of a scattering particle. Two non-homogeneous systems are considered, i.e., a water droplet with soot accumulating at its surface and a coal particle surrounded by a soot cloud. For both systems, the results show that the Mueller matrix elements are sensitive to the thickness of soot layer and soot volume fraction on the surface layer. If the angular variation of the scattering matrix elements can be accurately measured, it would provide an important diagnostic tool in detecting the presence of inhomogeneity in the scattering particle. Since the elements vary considerably with changing soot volume fraction, an accurate measurement would also provide important quantitative information about the soot present in the shell layer. Copyright (C) 1966 Elsevier Science Ltd