Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Light Scattering from Irregularly Shaped Particles

这个项目的目标是开发一个完整的，全面的和定量的描述不规则形状的粒子的光散射。将设计和制造一种装置，用于在从0.1度到180度的几乎所有角度上同时进行多角度、校准的散射矩阵测量。该装置的一个重要特征是能够到达非常小的角度，这是探测吉尼尔和瑞利散射制度所必需的，这在以前对不规则形状粒子的研究中找不到。利用该装置，将研究各种不规则颗粒的散射，包括烟尘集合体、增湿的烟尘集合体，然后是干燥的烟尘集合体、矿物粉尘和加湿粉尘，以及几何形状的结晶固体。这些颗粒物对大气气溶胶和全球环境具有重要意义。实验和理论相结合的工作将产生对所有类型粒子散射的定量和物理描述。这一描述将既准确又直接地应用于全球气候模型。智力上的优点：这项研究将广泛地将Q空间分析方法应用于实验数据和系统的理论计算。这种方法是一种分析光散射的全新方法，过去的工作表明这种方法将广泛适用。有了这个q空间的观点，系统的研究应该会产生一幅新的散射物理图景，这将给出一种前所未有的关于散射如何工作的智力直觉。波及影响：当今人类面临的最重要的问题之一是全球气候变化。这项研究的结果将直接关系到气溶胶如何影响我们的全球环境的问题。这项研究的目标是了解和准确描述任何类型的粒子的光散射，包括大气中出现的各种非球形形状。有了这些知识，就可以预测气溶胶对环境的直接影响，并可以准确地检测和测量大气中的气溶胶含量。有许多关于教育、外展和课程开发的项目将直接产生于这项工作或与此密切相关，包括：为青少年妇女举办暑期讲习班，让本科生参与研究，开设关于光散射的本科生高级课程，在高中进行演讲，指导研究生，以及撰写一本关于光散射的专著。

The goal of this project is to develop a complete, comprehensive and quantitative description of light scattering by irregularly shaped particles. A device for simultaneous multi-angle, calibrated scattering matrix measurements over essentially all angles from 0.1 degrees to 180 degrees will be designed and built. An important characteristic of the device, not found in previous studies of irregularly shaped particles, is the ability to go to very small angles necessary to detect the Guinier and Rayleigh scattering regimes. With this device, scattering by a wide variety of irregular particles including soot aggregates, humidified soot aggregates and then dried soot aggregates, mineral dusts and humidified dusts, and crystalline solids with geometric shapes will be studied. Such particles are of significance for atmospheric aerosols and the global environment. The combined experimental and theoretical work will yield a quantitative yet physical description of scattering by all types of particles. This description will be both accurate and straightforward to implement into global climate models.Intellectual Merit: The study will apply and test broadly the q-space analysis method to both the experimental data and systematic theoretical calculations. The method is a completely new way of analyzing light scattering that past work indicates will be broadly applicable. With this q-space perspective, the systematic studies should yield a new physical picture of scattering that will give an unprecedented intellectual intuition on how scattering works.Broader Impacts: One of the most significant problems facing humanity today is global climate change. The results of this research will have direct bearing on the problem of how aerosols affect our global environment. The goal of this study is to understand and accurately describe light scattering from any kind of particle including the wide variety of non-spherical shapes that occur in the atmosphere. With such knowledge, the direct impact of aerosols on the environment can be predicted and the aerosol content in the atmosphere can be accurately detected and measured.There are a number of projects regarding education, outreach and curriculum development that will directly result from or be significantly related to this work including: a summer workshop for teen women, involvement of undergraduates in research, an upper level undergraduate course on light scattering, talks at high schools, mentorship of graduate students, and writing of a monograph on light scattering.