ASPECTS OF SIMILARITY IN TISSUE OPTICS WITH STRONG FORWARD SCATTERING

The similarity studied in this paper links the diffusion exponent to t he reduced albedo. If F is the ratio of the diffusion exponent assumed by standard diffusion theory to the actual value of the diffusion exp onent, it is shown that for forward-scattering functions, as often fou nd in biological tissues, the values of F approach limiting curves. Th ese curves depend on a constant in the homologous scattering patterns, which can describe Henyey-Greenstein scattering patterns, but which c an also approximate Rayleigh-Gans phase functions. Finally, a practica l approach for estimating the solution for mixtures of these forward-s cattering phase functions with isotropic scatterers has been given.