Abstract

To predict the transmission of an optical beam through randomly distributed particles, diffusion theory was applied for the off-axis configuration.¹ Recently, we have employed a combination of the small-angle approximation and diffusion theory for interpretation of experimental data involving optical depths of 5 and 10. The isotropically scattered component of radiation provides a uniform background leading to an improved agreement with experiment in the region where the small-angle approximation is no longer adequate. For an open detector, the off-axis scattering can, however, be described in terms of the small-angle approximation, provided a multiGaussian phase function concept is introduced.²

© 1986 Optical Society of America