Electric field Monte Carlo simulation of coherent backscattering of polarized light by turbid medium

A method for directly simulating coherent backscattering of polarized light by a turbid medium has been developed based on the Electric field Monte Carlo (EMC) method. Electric fields of light traveling in a pair of time-reversed paths are added coherently to simulate their interference. An efficient approach for computing the electric field of light traveling along a time-reversed path is derived and implemented based on the timereversal symmetry of electromagnetic waves. Coherent backscattering of linearly and circularly polarized light by a turbid medium containing Mie scatterers is then investigated using this method. ©2008 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (030.1670) Coherent optical effects; (030.5620) Radiative transfer; (290.4210) Multiple scattering; (290.1350) Backscattering; (290.7050) Turbid media. References and links 1. A. Ishimaru, Wave Propagation and Scattering in Random Media, I and II (Academic, New York, 1978). 2. A. Yodh and B. Chance, “Spectroscopy and imaging with diffusing light,” Phys. Today 48, 38-40 (1995). 3. S. K. Gayen and R. R. Alfano, “Emerging optical biomedical imaging techniques,” Opt. Photonics News 7, 17-22 (1996). 4. S. R. Arridge, “Optical tomography in medical imaging,” Inverse Probl. 15, R41-R93 (1999). 5. P. Wolf and G. Maret, “Weak localization and coherent backscattering of photons in disordered media,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 2696-2699 (1985). 6. M. P. Van Albada and Ad Lagendijk, “Observation of weak localization of light in a random medium,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 2692-2695 (1985). 7. I. Lux and L. Koblinger, Monte Carlo Particle Transport Methods: Neutron and Photon Calculations (CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 1991). 8. S. Bartel and A. H. Hielscher, “Monte Carlo simulations of the diffuse backscattering Mueller matrix for highly scattering media,” Appl. Opt. 39, 1580-1588 (2000). 9. H. H. Tynes, G. W. Kattawar, E. P. Zege, I. L. Katsev, A. S. Prikhach, and L. I. Chaikovskaya, “Monte Carlo and multicomponent approximation methods for vector radiative transfer by use of effective Mueller matrix calculations,” Appl. Opt. 40, 400-412 (2001). 10. B. Kaplan, G. Ledanois, and B. Villon, “Mueller matrix of dense polystyrene latex sphere suspensions: Measurements and Monte Carlo simulation,” Appl. Opt. 40, 2769-2777 (2001). 11. X. Wang and L. V. Wang, “Propagation of polarized light in birefringent turbid media: A Monte Carlo study,” J. Biomed. Opt. 7, 279-290 (2002). 12. M. Xu, “Electric field Monte Carlo simulation of polarized light propagation through turbid media,” Opt. Express 12, 6530-6539 (2004). 13. K. G. Philips, M. Xu, S. K. Gayen, R. R. Alfano, “Time-resolved ring structures of circularly polarized beams backscattered from forward scattering media,” Opt. Express 13, 7954-7969 (2005). 14. H. C. van de Hulst, Light Scattering by Small Particles (Dover, New York, 1981). 15. D. S. Saxon, “Tensor scattering matrix for the electromagnetic field,” Phys. Rev. 100, 1771-1775 (1955). 16. M. Xu and R. R. Alfano, “Circular polarization memory of light,” Phys. Rev. E 72, 065061(R) (2005). #90654 $15.00 USD Received 7 Dec 2007; revised 27 Jan 2008; accepted 6 Feb 2008; published 9 Apr 2008 (C) 2008 OSA 14 April 2008 / Vol. 16, No. 8 / OPTICS EXPRESS 5728