Achieving a strongly negative scattering asymmetry factor in random media composed of dual-dipolar particles

B. X. Wang and C. Y. Zhao
Phys. Rev. A 97, 023836 – Published 23 February 2018

Abstract

Understanding radiative transfer in random media like micro- or nanoporous and particulate materials, allows people to manipulate the scattering and absorption of radiation, as well as opens new possibilities in applications such as imaging through turbid media, photovoltaics, and radiative cooling. A strong-backscattering phase function, i.e., a negative scattering asymmetry parameter g, is of great interest, which can possibly lead to unusual radiative transport phenomena, for instance, Anderson localization of light. Here we demonstrate that by utilizing the structural correlations and second Kerker condition for a disordered medium composed of randomly distributed silicon nanoparticles, a strongly negative scattering asymmetry factor (g0.5) for multiple light scattering can be realized in the near infrared. Based on the multipole expansion of Foldy-Lax equations and quasicrystalline approximation (QCA), we have rigorously derived analytical expressions for the effective propagation constant and scattering phase function for a random system containing spherical particles, by taking the effect of structural correlations into account. We show that as the concentration of scattering particles rises, the backscattering is also enhanced. Moreover, in this circumstance, the transport mean free path is largely reduced and even becomes smaller than that predicted by independent scattering approximation. We further explore the dependent scattering effects, including the modification of electric and magnetic dipole excitations and far-field interference effect, both induced and influenced by the structural correlations, for volume fraction of particles up to fv0.25. Our results have profound implications in harnessing micro- or nanoscale radiative transfer through random media.

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  • Received 1 September 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.97.023836

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

B. X. Wang and C. Y. Zhao*

  • Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China

  • *Changying.zhao@sjtu.edu.cn

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Vol. 97, Iss. 2 — February 2018

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