Interference effects on light scattering properties of dense colloidal suspensions: a short review

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging using scattered light potentially evaluate the structural properties of the medium, like the average particle size, based on a relation between its structure and light scattering. A qualitative understanding of light scattering is crucial for developing optical imaging techniques. The scattering properties of dense colloidal suspensions have been extensively investigated using the electromagnetic theory (EMT). The colloidal suspensions are widely used in liquid tissue phantoms for optical imaging techniques and are encountered in various fields, such as the food and chemical industries. The interference between electric fields scattered by colloidal particles significantly influences the scattering properties, so-called the interference effects. Despite many efforts since the 1980s, a complete understanding of the interference effects has still not been achieved. The main reason is the complicated dependence of the interference on the optical wavelength, particle size, and so on. This paper briefly reviews numerical and theoretical studies of the interference effect based on the dependent scattering theory, one of the EMTs, and model equations.