Electromagnetic scattering from a spherical polydispersion of coated spheres.

The volume averaged cross sections for extinction, scattering, absorption, and radiation pressure along with the elements of the phase matrix were computed for a spherical polydispersion of water coated carbon particles. The wavelength used was 4910 A. Two cases were considered. For one we held the thickness of the water coating constant over the polydispersion, while the parameter q = r(0)/r, (the ratio of core radius to total radius) was varied. For the subsequent case we held q constant over the polydispersion, while the thickness of the coating varied. The results show that there are large differences in both the intensity and degree of polarization between dry and wet aerosols. Also interference phenomena can occur, which demonstrate that the assignment of an average refractive index to aerosols can be misleading and can lead to erroneous results.