Abstract

Changes in the far-zone spectrum of light produced by scattering a plane polychromatic wave on a diffuser plate in uniform motion past an aperture are investigated. Both dielectric and absorptive diffusers are considered. The correlation length of the diffuser is assumed to be small compared to the linear dimensions of the aperture, and the coherence time of the incident light is assumed to be short compared with the transit time across the aperture. The spectrum of the scattered light is found to be Doppler shifted with respect to the incident light and also modified by the statistical nature of the diffuser and by diffraction. The corresponding results obtained with rotating diffusers are also briefly discussed.

© 1989 Optical Society of America