1 research outputs found
Methods to retrieve the complex refractive index of aquatic suspended particles: going beyond simple shapes
The scattering properties of aquatic suspended particles have many optical
applications. Several data inversion methods have been proposed to estimate
important features of particles, such as their size distribution or their
refractive index. Most of the proposed methods are based on the Lorenz–Mie
theory to solve Maxwell's equations, where particles are considered
homogeneous spheres. A generalization that allows consideration of more complex-shaped
particles is the <i>T</i>-matrix method. Although this approach imposes
some geometrical restrictions (particles must be rotationally symmetrical) it
is applicable to many life forms of phytoplankton. In this paper, three
different scenarios are considered in order to compare the performance of
several inversion methods for retrieving refractive indices. The error
associated with each method is discussed and analyzed. The results suggest
that inverse methods using the <i>T</i>-matrix approach are useful to accurately
retrieve the refractive indices of particles with complex shapes, such as for
many phytoplankton organisms