Bridging the microscopic and macroscopic theories for light reflected from disordered plane-parallel dielectric slabs.
For a system of randomly arranged plane-parallel dielectric layers with randomly varying index of refraction and width, we compare the reflection coefficient derived from the Maxwell equations with that of the Boltzmann theory. For a strictly monochromatic field this coefficient is an oscillatory function of the laser frequency. We show how suitable frequency or ensemble averaging permits a comparison of the two theories. The calculation of the usual Boltzmann scattering coefficient from microscopic parameters can be improved to permit a better agreement with the exact Maxwell data.
Menon
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Intense Laser Physics Theory Unit and Department of Physics, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790-4560 USA.
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Grobe
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