Multiple scattering by the iterative Foldy-Lax scheme

摘要

The Foldy-Lax multiple-scattering equations in matrix form were examined for their suitability for solving the phase function and degree of linear polarization of clusters of particles as a complementary approach to the superposition T-matrix scheme. The constituent particles used for verification against the latter method were spheres with size parameters close to unity, with their aggregation governed by generalized Brownian motion. The number of constituents can be enlarged beyond the limitations of the benchmark method by a relatively small sacrifice in accuracy, but increasing constituent size and introducing nonsphericity easily result in numerical noise and overwhelming computational effort unless a large amount of the accuracy is going to be traded off. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.