LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course Electromagnetic Scattering I offers an introduction and theoretical foundation for elastic electromagnetic scattering by arbitrary objects (usually called particles). As compared to the wavelength, the sizes of the objects can be small or large, or of the order of the wavelength. As to the shape of the objects, main emphasis is on spherical particles and, subsequently, on the so-called Mie scattering. The optical properties of the objects are typically described by the refractive index.
CONTENT
Computational light scattering assesses elastic light scattering (electromagnetic scattering) by particles of arbitrary sizes, shapes, and optical properties. Particular attention is paid to advanced computational methods for both single and multiple scattering, that is, to methods for isolated particles and extended media of particles (cf. dust particles in cometary comae and particulate media on asteroids). Theoretical foundations are described for the physics of light scattering based on the Maxwell equations and for a number of computational methods. In single scattering, the methods include, for example, the volume integral equation, discrete-dipole approximation, T-matrix or transition matrix, and finite-difference time-domain methods. In multiple scattering, the methods are typically based on Monte Carlo ray tracing. These include far-field radiative transfer and coherent backscattering methods and their extensions incorporating full-wave interactions. Students are engaged in developing numerical methods for specific scattering problems. The development and computations take place in both laptop and supercomputing environments.
