Physical-Geometric Optics for Light-Scattering by Nonspherical Particles: Applications to Remote Sensing and Climate Science

The optical theory of light scattering by nonspherical particles is fundamental to remote sensing of the atmosphere and ocean, as well as to other areas of computational physics, astrophysics, the biomedical sciences, and electromagnetics. At present, many training programs in light scattering are woefully lacking. This book fills the void in existing research on light scattering and training, particularly in the case of large scattering particles, and provides a solid foundation on which future research can be based, including suggestions for further directions in the field. With the elucidation of the theoretical basis for light scattering (particularly within the framework of the physical-geometric optics method) and the demonstration of practical applications, this book will be invaluable for training future scientists in the discipline of light scattering, as well as for researchers and professionals using remote-sensing techniques to analyze the properties of the atmosphere and oceans, and in the area of biophotonics.

Ping Yang is University Distinguished Professor and David Bullock Harris Chair in geosciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on light scattering, radiative transfer, and remote sensing. Yang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), OPTICA (formally, the Optical Society of America), The Electromagnetics Academy, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Yang has received a number of awards/honors, including the Humboldt Research Award, the quadrennial Gold Medal by the International Radiation Commission (IRC), the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the Ascent Award by the AGU Atmospheric Science Section, the David and Lucille Atlas Remote Sensing Prize from AMS, and the van de Hulst Light-Scattering Award from Elsevier. He served as an editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, and an editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

Jiachen Ding is Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University. His current research is on the theories and computational techniques of light scattering and radiative transfer and their applications in remote sensing and astrophysics.

Masanori Saito is Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming. His research interests include algorithm development of remote sensing techniques for characterizing cloud and aerosol properties from spaceborne and airborne observations.

George W. Kattawar is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is an internationally renowned expert in radiative transfer and light scattering dealing with full Mueller matrix/Stokes vector processes. He has received many awards and recognitions, including Fellow of the Optical Society of America; the Nils Gunnar Jerlov Award; and van de Hulst Light Scattering Award. He is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans and a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Transport Theory and Statistical Physics. He was appointed as Academic Advisor of the Board of Directors of the Texas Academy of Science. He was selected by Applied Optics as one of the fifty most prolific authors in the last fifty years.