This book experimentally investigates the angular light scattering properties of three atmospherically relevant particles: ice crystals, dust particles and secondary organic aerosol particles. Key optical quantities under examination are the near-backscattering depolarisation properties and the angular light scattering function. The main question is how these parameters are related to the particle microphysical properties, such as particle size and complexity.

This volume outlines the fundamentals and applications of light scattering, absorption and polarization processes involving ice crystals.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

This is the first book devoted specifically to the problem of light scattering and absorption by inhomogeneous and anisotropic spherical particles. Unlike other books in the field, Electromagnetic Scattering in Disperse Media pays considerable attention to various aspects of light absorption inside particles, including internal field distributions, MDR resonances, and absorption in restricted regions inside particles. It contains many results (and more than 100 figures) computed for polydisperse particle systems and algorithms and provides the possibility to use them (web site). Although the main emphasis is given to optical properties of atmospheric aerosol, the book also deals with many other practical applications involving inhomogeneous and anisotropic particles