Revised Kubelka-Munk theory. III. A general theory of light propagation in scattering and absorptive media.

A generally applicable theoretical model describing light propagating through turbid media is proposed. The theory is a generalization of the revised Kubelka-Munk theory, extending its applicability to accommodate a wider range of absorption influences. A general expression for a factor taking into account the effect of scattering on the total photon path traversed in a turbid medium is derived. The extended model is applied to systems of ink-dyed paper sheets-mixtures of wood fibers with dyes-which represent examples of systems that have thus far eluded the original Kubelka-Munk model. The results of simulations of the spectral dependence of Kubelka-Munk coefficients of absorption and scattering show that they compare very well with those derived from experimental results.