On the determination of optical parameters for turbid materials

Abstract

The radiance profile caused by illumination of a turbid medium with a pencil beam depends on the optical parameters of the sample. Measurement of this radiance profile makes it possible to find these optical parameters by comparing the radiance data to theoretical predictions. Here We determine optical parameters, viz. absorption and transport scattering coefficient s(1–g), by fitting of theoretical expressions to experimental data, and we give an indication of the area where several theoretical approaches describe the experiments correctly. The differences between the theories are discussed, and Monte Carlo calculations are used as a useful theoretical tool in the area where other (analytical) methods are not yet available.