Matthew J. Berg

Extinction and the optical theorem. Part I. Single particles

We study the extinction caused by a single particle and present a conceptual phase-based explanation for the related optical theorem. Simulations of the energy flow caused by a particles presence in a collimated beam of light demonstrate how the extinction process occurs. It is shown that extinction does not necessarily cause a reduction of the energy flow along the exact forward direction. Implications regarding the measurement of the single-particle extinction cross section are discussed. This work is extended to noninteracting and interacting multiparticle groups in Part II [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A25, pp. 1514 (2008)].

Patterns in Mie scattering: evolution when normalized by the Rayleigh cross section

An alternative to using the traditional scattering angle theta to describe light scattering from a uniform dielectric sphere is the dimensionless parameter qR, where R is the radius of the sphere, q = 2k sin(theta/2), and k is the wavenumber of the incident light. Simple patterns appear in the scattered intensity if qR is used in place of theta. These patterns are characterized by the envelopes approximating the scattered intensity distributions and are quantified by the phase-shift parameter rho = 2kR/m - 1/, where m is the real refractive index of the sphere. Here we find new patterns in these envelopes when the scattered intensity is normalized to the Rayleigh differential cross section. Mie scattering is found to be similar to Rayleigh scattering when p < 1 and follows simple patterns for p > 1, which evolve predictably as a function of p. These patterns allow us to present a unifying picture of the evolution of Mie scattering for changes in kR and m.

Measurement and autocorrelation analysis of two-dimensional light-scattering patterns from living cells for label-free classification.

We incorporate optics and an ICCD to record the two‐dimensional angular optical scattering (TAOS) patterns retrieved from single aerosolized cells. We analyze these patterns by performing autocorrelations and demonstrate that we are able to retrieve cell size from the locations of the secondary maxima. Additional morphological information is contained in the autocorrelation functions and decay rate of the heights of the autocorrelation peaks. We demonstrate these techniques with C6 and Y79 cells, which are readily distinguishable. One key advantage of this methodology is that there is no requirement for antibody and fluorescent labeling molecules. Published 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Internal fields of soot fractal aggregates

This work uses the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) to examine the internal electric field within a simulated carbon soot fractal aggregate in fixed and random orientations. For fixed orientations, deviations of the internal field magnitude up to ±50% from that assumed by the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans Approximation (RDGA) are found. Given the refractive index of the aggregate monomers and conditions for the validity of the approximation, such large deviations are no surprise. Yet despite this deviation, the far-field scattered intensity from such aggregates agrees surprisingly well with that described by the RDGA. Moreover, if the average over an ensemble of many random aggregate-orientations is calculated, both the DDA and RDGA scattered intensities obey the well-known power-law functionality in terms of the scattering wave vector and show a forward-angle intensity-maximum proportional to the square of the number of monomers. The explanation for this lies in the over and under estimations made by the approximation of the internal field, which apparently mostly cancel upon integration to yield the scattered intensity. It is shown that this error cancellation is related to the fractal structure of the aggregate and that the agreement between the DDA and RDGA improves with aggregates of increasing size provided the fractal dimension is less than two. Overall, the analysis suggests that both the special fractal character of the aggregate and its orientational averaging is important to account for the experimentally observed validity of the RDGA despite its poor description of the internal fields.

Electromagnetic induction by ferrofluid in an oscillating heat pipe

Thermal-to-electrical energy conversion was demonstrated using an oscillating heat pipe (OHP) filled with ferrofluid and equipped with an annular-type solenoid. The OHP was subjected to a 100 °C axial temperature difference allowing the ferrofluid to passively oscillate through the solenoid, thus accomplishing electromagnetic induction. The measured solenoid voltage consisted of aperiodic pulses with dominant frequencies between 2 and 5 Hz and peak-to-peak amplitudes approaching 1 mV. Despite exposure to the thermal and phase change cycling within the OHP, nanoparticle morphologies and magnetic properties of the ferrofluid remained intact. This energy harvesting method allows for combined thermal management and in-situ power generation.

Using holography to measure extinction

This work presents a new concept to measure the extinction cross section for a single particle in situ. The concept involves recording the hologram produced by the interference of a particles forward-scattered light with the incident light. This interference pattern is fundamentally connected to the energy flow that gives rise to extinction, and, by integrating this measured pattern, one obtains an approximation for the cross section. Mie theory is used to show that this approximation can be as little as 1% in error of the true value for many cases of practical interest. Moreover, since an image of the particle can be computationally reconstructed from a measured hologram using the Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction theory, one can obtain the cross section simultaneously with the particle shape and size.

Two-dimensional Guinier analysis: Application to single aerosol particles in-flight

This work presents an apparatus that measures near-forward two-dimensional elastic scattering patterns of single aerosol particles and proposes a two-angle extension of the Guinier law to analyze these patterns. The particles, which approximately range from 2 to 8 micrometers in size, flow through the apparatus in an aerosol stream. A spatial filtering technique separates the near-forward portion of the patterns from the illumination light. Contours intended to represent the geometrical profile of the particles are generated from the patterns using the extension of the Guinier law. The analysis is applied to spherical and nonspherical particles, and the resulting contours are found to be consistent with particle shape only for spherical particles.

Simultaneous holographic imaging and light-scattering pattern measurement of individual microparticles.

This work combines digital holography with spatial filtering at two wavelengths to record the hologram and light-scattering pattern for a single particle using a color sensor. Particles 30-100 μm in size and with various shapes are considered. The results demonstrate the ability to unambiguously associate a complicated scattering pattern with the particle size, shape, and orientation.

Measuring extinction with digital holography: nonspherical particles and experimental validation

Through simulations and experiment, this Letter shows how a particles extinction cross section can be extracted from a digital hologram. Spherical and nonspherical particles are considered covering a range of cross-sectional values of nearly five orders of magnitude. The extracted cross sections are typically less than 10% in error from the true values. It is also shown that holograms encompassing a sufficiently large angular range of scattered light yield an estimate for the absorption cross section.

Quasi-three-dimensional particle imaging with digital holography

In this work, approximate three-dimensional structures of microparticles are generated with digital holography using an automated focus method. This is done by stacking a collection of silhouette-like images of a particle reconstructed from a single in-line hologram. The method enables estimation of the particle size in the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Using the discrete dipole approximation, the method is tested computationally by simulating holograms for a variety of particles and attempting to reconstruct the known three-dimensional structure. It is found that poor longitudinal resolution strongly perturbs the reconstructed structure, yet the method does provide an approximate sense for the structures longitudinal dimension. The method is then applied to laboratory measurements of holograms of single microparticles and their scattering patterns.