Abstract

An apparatus was designed and assembled to measure scattered light in the range of $180°\pm 6°$ where enhanced backscattering, the cause of a glory, occurs. The apparatus was calibrated and tested using Fraunhofer circular aperture diffraction, angle of incidence correction, and a diffuse reflector. Theory indicates that backscattering is strongly dependent on particle size, refractive index, and shape. Experimental measurements from polystyrene latex spheres of two sizes and water droplets showed good agreement with Mie theory, but also indicated the extreme sensitivity of the backscattering to particle parameters. The results presented should have use in the fields of particle scattering, particle metrology, and LIDAR.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

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