TY - JOUR
T1 - Can simple particle shapes be used to model scalar optical properties of an ensemble of wavelength-sized particles with complex shapes?
AU - Kahnert, F. Michael
AU - Stamnes, Jakob J.
AU - Stamnes, Knut
PY - 2002/3
Y1 - 2002/3
N2 - We compute the scalar optical properties of size-shape distributions of wavelength-sized randomly oriented homogeneous particles with different nonaxially symmetric geometries and investigate how well they can be modeled with a simple spherical, spheroidal, or cylindrical particle model. We find that a spherical particle model can be used to determine the extinction and scattering cross sections, the single-scattering albedo, and the asymmetry parameter with an error of less than 2%, whereas the extinction-to-backscatter ratio Reb is reproduced only with an error of 9%. The cylindrical and spheroidal particle models yield slightly improved results for R eb that deviate from those obtained for the complex particle ensemble by 7% and 5%, respectively. Large discrepancies between results of the different models are observed for the linear depolarization ratio, thus indicating limitations of models based on simple particle shapes.
AB - We compute the scalar optical properties of size-shape distributions of wavelength-sized randomly oriented homogeneous particles with different nonaxially symmetric geometries and investigate how well they can be modeled with a simple spherical, spheroidal, or cylindrical particle model. We find that a spherical particle model can be used to determine the extinction and scattering cross sections, the single-scattering albedo, and the asymmetry parameter with an error of less than 2%, whereas the extinction-to-backscatter ratio Reb is reproduced only with an error of 9%. The cylindrical and spheroidal particle models yield slightly improved results for R eb that deviate from those obtained for the complex particle ensemble by 7% and 5%, respectively. Large discrepancies between results of the different models are observed for the linear depolarization ratio, thus indicating limitations of models based on simple particle shapes.
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U2 - 10.1364/JOSAA.19.000521
DO - 10.1364/JOSAA.19.000521
M3 - Article
C2 - 11876317
AN - SCOPUS:0036512494
SN - 1084-7529
VL - 19
SP - 521
EP - 531
JO - Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science, and Vision
JF - Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science, and Vision
IS - 3
ER -