Abstract

We consider transmission scattering of a plane wave by a radially inhomogeneous sphere containing a localized region of refractive index decrease. In ray theory, the boundary conditions on the deflection angle at axial and grazing incidence determine that transmission scattering gives rise to an even number of bows, half of them being relative maximum bows and half being relative minimum bows. For a model refractive index profile, we determine the conditions under which different numbers of bows occur, and we suggest physical mechanisms responsible for producing them. We also verify that these bows occur in wave scattering in the short wavelength limit, both in the frequency domain and time domain.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Zero-order bows in radially inhomogeneous spheres: direct and inverse problems

John A. Adam
Appl. Opt. 50(28) F50-F59 (2011)

Supernumerary bows: caustics of a refractive sphere and analysis of the relative overall Gouy phase shift of supernumerary rays

Paul-Étienne Ouellette
Appl. Opt. 58(3) 712-722 (2019)

Rainbow refractometry applied to radially inhomogeneous spheres: the critical case of evaporating droplets

Patrizio Massoli
Appl. Opt. 37(15) 3227-3235 (1998)

Cladded radially inhomogeneous sphere lenses

K. Kikuchi, T. Morikawa, J. Shimada, and K. Sakurai
Appl. Opt. 20(3) 388-394 (1981)

High-order rainbows of a spherical particle produced by near-grazing incident light

James A. Lock
Appl. Opt. 56(19) G75-G87 (2017)