Comparison of P_(N) or spherical harmonics approximation for scattering media with spatially varying and spatially constant refractive indices

摘要

In this paper, we derive the P_(N) or spherical harmonics approximation to the radiative transport equation for a medium with a spatially varying refractive index. We compare the analytical solutions of the coupled system of partial differential equations corresponding to the P_(N) approximation in a spherically symmetric geometry for spatially varying and spatially constant case. We show that the P_(N) model with spatially varying refractive index for photon transport is substantially different than the spatially constant model.