Evaluation of Transmission Near the Christiansen Wavelength for Dynamic Sand Samples

Abstract

Many optical applications, including free-space optical communications, lidar, and astronomical measurements, are impacted by the presence of light-scattering particles also known as obscurants. Scattering from particles consisting of sand, dust, dirt, and other substances can significantly degrade optical signals. For many obscurants, the index of refraction is dependent on the wavelength of light, and there exists a Christiansen wavelength (λ_c) at which scattering is at a minimum. At λ_c the index of refraction of the scattering particles (n_s) matches that of the surrounding medium, in this case air (with refractive index n_a). This condition makes the scattering particulates almost invisible to the propagating light, minimizing scattering and increasing transmission at λ_c. Previously, the authors showed a technique for measuring the index of refraction n(λ) and the extinction coefficient k(λ) using spectroscopic ellipsometry for various sand samples. Spectroscopic measurements on static sand samples demonstrated good agreement with the predicted spectral properties and highlighted the presence of a Christiansen feature near 8 µm. However, in outdoor environments, the scattering particles are never stationary but in a constant state of motion. In this work, spectroscopic measurements on dynamic sand samples (sand that is falling through the optical beam path) show two Christiansen features seen previously in predicted and observed static sand measurements. Additionally, we characterize, for the first time, transmission around a Christiansen feature using a tunable laser and show results consistent with other spectroscopic measurements.