Low-coherence interferometry in random media. II. Experiment

We present experimental results of measurements of light backscattering fro m semi-infinite disordered media by low-coherence interferometry (LCI). The se results are compared with the theory developed in part I [J. Opt. Sec. A m. A 17, 2024 (2000)]. A comparison of the experimental data with the theor etical formulas based on the coherent phase approximation allows us to extr act substantial information about the structure of the studied media. Our r esults demonstrate that LCI is an effective optical technique for studying nonuniform media even in the case in which the dimensions of nonuniformitie s are much less than the wavelength of the scattered light. (C) 2000 Optica l Society of America [S0740-3232(00)01712-9] OCIS codes: 030.1670, 290.4210 .