Weak Scattering of Scalar and Electromagnetic Random Fields

This dissertation encompasses several studies relating to the theory of weak potential scattering of scalar and electromagnetic random, wide-sense statistically stationary fields from various types of deterministic or random linear media. The proposed theory is largely based on the first Born approximation for potential scattering and on the angular spectrum representation of fields. The main focus of the scalar counterpart of the theory is made on calculation of the second-order statistics of scattered light fields in cases when the scattering medium consists of several types of discrete particles with deterministic or random potentials. It is shown that the knowledge of the correlation properties for the particles of the same and different types, described with the newly introduced pair-scattering matrix, is crucial for determining the spectral and coherence states of the scattered radiation. The approach based on the pair-scattering matrix is then used for solving an inverse problem of determining the location of an “alien” particle within the scattering collection of “normal” particles, from several measurements of the spectral density of scattered light. Weak scalar scattering of light from a particulate medium in the presence of optical turbulence existing between the scattering centers is then approached using the combination of the Born’s theory for treating the light interaction with discrete particles and the Rytov’s theory for light propagation in extended turbulent medium. It is demonstrated how the statistics of scattered radiation depend on scattering potentials of particles and the power spectra of the refractive index fluctuations of turbulence. This theory is of utmost importance for applications involving atmospheric and oceanic light transmission. The second part of the dissertation includes the theoretical procedure developed for predicting the second-order statistics of the electromagnetic random fields, such as polarization and linear momentum, scattered from static media. The spatial distribution of these properties of scattered fields is shown to be substantially dependent on the correlation and polarization properties of incident fields and on the statistics of the refractive index distribution within the scatterers. Further, an example is considered which illustrates the usefulness of the electromagnetic scattering theory of random fields in the case when the scattering medium is a thin bio-tissue layer with the prescribed power spectrum of the refractive index fluctuations. The polarization state of the scattered light is shown to be influenced by correlation and polarization states of the illumination as well as by the particle size distribution of the tissue slice