Enhancement backscattering of light: a direct visual–desktop experience

R. Espinosa–Luna^a, G. Atondo–Rubio^b and S. Hinojosa–Ruiz^c

^a GIPYS, Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, A.C., Loma del Bosque 115, Colonia Lomas del Campestre, 37150 León, Guanajuato, México, e–mail: reluna@cio.mx

^b GIPYS, Escuela de Ciencias Físico–Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 80010 Culiacán, Sinaloa, México, e–mail: p027005@uas.uasnet.mx

^c GIPYS, Facultad de Física, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Avenida Preparatoria s/n, Colonia Agronómica, 98062 Zacatecas, Zac., México, e–mail: sinhue@fisica.uaz.edu.mx

Abstract

Direct visual images of the angular distribution of light scattered by one–dimensional, quasi–one–dimensional and two–dimensional randomly rough surfaces, in both plane– and conical–geometries of incidence, are shown. By using a simple desktop arrangement, the images clearly show the enhancement backscattering of light effect for these samples under a 633 nm wavelength, un–polarized, He–Ne laser illumination. Of particular interest is a circularly symmetric enhanced backscattering pattern associated to the uniformly two–dimensional rough surface employed. The surface profiles of the well–characterized samples can be modeled as a Gaussian random process with Gaussian correlation functions too.

Keywords: Optical physics; scattering; enhanced backscattering.

Resumen

Se muestran imágenes visuales de la distribución angular de la luz esparcida por superficies aleatoriamente rugosas unidimensionales, cuasi–unidimensionales y bidimensionales, tanto en la geometría de incidencia plana, como en la cónica. Utilizando un arreglo simple de escritorio, las imágenes muestran claramente el efecto del retroesparcimiento reforzado de la luz para esas muestras bajo una iluminación de 633 nm de luz no–polarizada, emitida por un láser de He–Ne. De interés particular es el patrón del retroesparcimiento reforzado circularmente simétrico, asociado a la superficie bidimensional uniformemente rugosa empleada. Los perfiles de las superficies caracterizadas pueden modelarse como procesos Gaussianos aleatorios con funciones de correlación también Gaussianas.

Descriptores: Óptica física; esparcimiento; retroesparcimiento reforzado.

PACS: 42.25.Ja

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Acknowledgements

Authors express their gratitude to Prof. Eugenio R. Mendez by giving us his permission to use the samples employed enhancement backscattering of light: a direct visual–desktop experience here, which were fabricated by one of us (REL) at CICESE. Authors also thank to the anonymous referee for giving us the possibility to improve our work by taking into account his/her comments. This work has been supported by CONACYT (project 100361) and has been developed under the GIPYS initiative.

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