Scattering and information

Abstract
The paper discusses some aspects of scattering of electromagnetic radiation in inhomogeneous media from the point of view of information theory. A theory is developed, based on a concrete model of a typical scattering experiment, which takes into account the finiteness of the scattering volume and the coherence characteristics of the radiation; as a conclusion, the speckle noise which is superimposed over the signal is brought into evidence. More exactly, it is shown that the spurious oscillations are due to the non-vanishing character of the convolution square of the inhomogeneity distribution function at the point of truncation in the primary space. Subsequently, the structural information of scattering experiments is examined and the finite logoncontent determined. The sampling interval is established and the resolution achievable in scattering measurements is deduced; also the means by which it can be improved are examined. An analysis of the quantitative information obtainable is pursued and the desirability of filtering is suggested. Finally, the way in which the partial coherence effectively acts as a low-pass filter is studied.

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