COMPUTATION, VISUALIZATION, AND ANIMATION OF INFRARED MUELLER MATRIX-ELEMENTS BY SCATTERING FROM SURFACES THAT ARE ABSORBING AND RANDOMLY ROUGH

Computation of Mueller matrix elements by infrared scattering from ran domly rough two-dimensional surfaces and results of a method for graph ic display of the data are presented. A full wave electromagnetic scat tering model first generates raw data elements of the 4 x 4 Mueller ma trix F(theta, n(lambda), k(lambda), sigma(s2), [h2]) in beam backscatt ering angle (theta) ranging from normal to oblique incidence, in refra ctive index of the beam scatterer (n(lambda) - ik(lambda) spanning the 9 less-than-or-equal-to lambda less-than-or-equal-to 12.5 mum midinfr ared band, and in mean-squared slope (sigma(s2)) and mean-squared heig ht ([h2]) of the scattering surface. These data are next compressed in to a graphics format file occupying considerably less computer storage space and mapped into color images of the Mueller elements as viewed on a high-resolution graphics terminal. The diagonal and two off-diago nal elements are animated in the lambda-theta plane according to varia tions in sigma(s2) and [h2]. Predicted elements for polarized IR beam energies on vibrational resonance of the surface molecules, and partic ularly the off-diagonal elements, show subtle properties of the scatte rer as viewed in the animation sequences.