Numerical Experiments in Monte Carlo Modeling of Polarization, Diffraction, and Interference Phenomena

摘要

We present the numerical tests for a Monte Carlo ray-tracing model. The model has been extended to simulate not only geometrical but also physical optics phenomena, including polarization, diffraction, and interference of light. Light beams are represented by a flux of simulated particles (photons) carrying a complex vector characteristic that contains information about amplitude and phase of electromagnetic field oscillations. The model allows simulations of polarization phenomena in global coordinates. It has been verified by predicting the results that perfectly match those derived from the Fresnel formulae for unpolarized light reflection/refraction at the interface of two media. The capability of handling diffraction and interference has been tested on the problems of Fraunhofer diffraction at an infinite slit and circular aperture, and Fresnel diffraction at a semi-infinite knife-edge plane. The results obtained for the former compare fairly well with the analytical solutions from the wave theory, whereas, for the latter, there is only a qualitative agreement with the fringe pattern deduced from the Cornu spiral.