Observation of Sub-fractal Behaviour in a Light-scattering System

Abstract
The results are reported of an experimental investigation of optical scintillation generated when laser light is scattered by a turbulently mixing layer of brine and pure water. Non-gaussian intensity statistics have been measured as a function of propagation distance in the Fresnel region and as a function of illuminated area and scattering angle in the Fraunhofer region. A characteristic power-law dependence on the illuminated area of the far-field contrast is found, suggesting that the slope of the scattered wavefront may be self-affine over a significant range of length scales.