Abstract

The opposition effect manifested as a narrow peak in the angular distribution of the intensity of diffusely scattered light in the backward (antispecular or retroreflection) direction has been experimentally investigated. A monostatic bidirectional laser reflectometer was used to measure the opposition effect of copper and gold surfaces under illumination at 0.6328 μm. The results are compared with a recent theory of the elastic scattering of light from a randomly rough metal surface that predicts such a peak in the retroreflectance direction, which, in certain conditions, can be related to the localization of surface polaritons.

© 1989 Optical Society of America

Localization effects in the elastic scattering of light from a randomly rough surface

Arthur R. McGurn and Alexei A. Maradudin
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4(6) 910-926 (1987)

Enhanced transmission through rough-metal surfaces

Zu-Han Gu, Richard S. Dummer, Alexei A. Maradudin, Arthur R. McGurn, and E. R. Mendez
Appl. Opt. 30(28) 4094-4102 (1991)

Coherence in the single and multiple scattering of light from randomly rough surfaces

Zu-Han Gu, Jun Q. Lu, Alexei A. Maradudin, Amalia Martinez, and E. R. Mendez
Appl. Opt. 32(15) 2852-2859 (1993)

Some aspects of light scattering from a randomly rough metal surface

V. Celli, A. A. Maradudin, A. M. Marvin, and A. R. McGurn
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 2(12) 2225-2239 (1985)

Enhanced backscattering of light from weakly rough, random metal surfaces

A. A. Maradudin and E. R. Méndez
Appl. Opt. 32(19) 3335-3343 (1993)