Laser beam broadening and depolarization in dense fogs
- 1 July 1978
- journal article
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Journal of the Optical Society of America
- Vol. 68 (7) , 900-908
- https://doi.org/10.1364/josa.68.000900
Abstract
The spatial profiles and polarization properties of a Gaussian laser beam transmitted through dense water-droplet fogs have been studied in the laboratory. A narrow, linearly polarized beam at 514 nm experiences various degrees of broadening on propagating through a 1 m thick layer of fog. The extent of the observed broadening has been found to exhibit a strong dependence on both the attenuation coefficient of the fog and on receiver paramaters. Even at optical thicknesses in excess of 5 the beam retains a Gaussian core which does not broaden appreciably. Measurements of the polarization state of forward-scattered light reveal that in dense fogs the linear polarization is strongly preserved. The linear depolization ratio δ increases with distance off the laser beam axis, although it never exceeds 0.01 in our experiment. The applicability of a single-scatteing model is describing the results is discussed.Keywords
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