Abstract

A general light-scattering spectrometer for measuring surface fluctuations is analyzed by using the methods of Fourier optics. Optical configurations can be designed so that the autocorrelation of the photocurrent is given by either the first- or the second-order correlation functions for the surface fluctuations. Fluctuations in capillary-wave amplitude and in surface density can be detected separately for a number of cases of practical interest. A method is proposed for unambiguous detection of capillary waves with amplitudes larger than the optical wavelength.

© 1989 Optical Society of America

Hybrid reflection–transmission surface light-scattering instrument with reduced sensitivity to surface sloshing

William V. Meyer, James A. Lock, H. Michael Cheung, Thomas W. Taylor, Padetha Tin, and J. Adin Mann
Appl. Opt. 36(30) 7605-7614 (1997)

Depolarization and backscatter enhancement in light scattering from random rough surfaces: comparison of full-wave theory with experiment

Ezekiel Bahar and Mary Ann Fitzwater
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 6(1) 33-43 (1989)

Improvement of the Kirchhoff approximation for scattering from rough surfaces

H. Faure-Geors and D. Maystre
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Modified Wiener–Hermite expansion in rough-surface scattering

Cornel Eftimiu
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 6(10) 1584-1594 (1989)

Surface fluctuation scattering using grating heterodyne spectroscopy

R. V. Edwards, R. S. Sirohi, J. A. Mann, L. B. Shih, and L. Lading
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