The study of transport properties of multiple scattering media by low-coherence reflectometry

摘要

The low-coherence reflectometry (LCR) technique was used to examine the transport properties of dense suspensions of scattering particles in the course of particle sedimentation and aggregation. The shapes of backscattered signal and the reflectance of the layers of sedimented particles measured with the use of an OCT system in A-scan mode at various stages of sedimentation were analyzed in order to characterize the time-dependent alterations in transport properties (the transport mean free path and the transport albedo) of studied scattering media (water suspensions of polystyrene beads). The role of the static structure factor of the examined scattering systems in transport of light at high scatter concentrations is discussed. The influence of scattering anisotropy on the scatter correlation effect is analyzed on the base of experimental data obtained with various values of the scatter size and the wavelength of probe light. The potential of LCI technique for characterization of the structure of sedimented substances is discussed.