Scattering from Model Nonspherical Particles

Scattering from Model Nonspherical Particles

Author: Ferdinando Borghese

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 3662053306

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides the first coherent account of a well-known approach to the problem of light scattering by small anisotropic particles. In this extended second edition the authors have encompassed all the new topics arising from their recent studies of cosmic dust grains. Thus many chapters were deeply revised and new chapters were added. The book addresses a wide spectrum of applications.


Book Synopsis Scattering from Model Nonspherical Particles by : Ferdinando Borghese

Download or read book Scattering from Model Nonspherical Particles written by Ferdinando Borghese and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides the first coherent account of a well-known approach to the problem of light scattering by small anisotropic particles. In this extended second edition the authors have encompassed all the new topics arising from their recent studies of cosmic dust grains. Thus many chapters were deeply revised and new chapters were added. The book addresses a wide spectrum of applications.


Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Author: Michael I. Mishchenko

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 1999-09-22

Total Pages: 721

ISBN-13: 0080510205

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There is hardly a field of science or engineering that does not have some interest in light scattering by small particles. For example, this subject is important to climatology because the energy budget for the Earth's atmosphere is strongly affected by scattering of solar radiation by cloud and aerosol particles, and the whole discipline of remote sensing relies largely on analyzing the parameters of radiation scattered by aerosols, clouds, and precipitation. The scattering of light by spherical particles can be easily computed using the conventional Mie theory. However, most small solid particles encountered in natural and laboratory conditions have nonspherical shapes. Examples are soot and mineral aerosols, cirrus cloud particles, snow and frost crystals, ocean hydrosols, interplanetary and cometary dust grains, and microorganisms. It is now well known that scattering properties of nonspherical particles can differ dramatically from those of "equivalent" (e.g., equal-volume or equal-surface-area) spheres. Therefore, the ability to accurately compute or measure light scattering by nonspherical particles in order to clearly understand the effects of particle nonsphericity on light scattering is very important. The rapid improvement of computers and experimental techniques over the past 20 years and the development of efficient numerical approaches have resulted in major advances in this field which have not been systematically summarized. Because of the universal importance of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles, papers on different aspects of this subject are scattered over dozens of diverse research and engineering journals. Often experts in one discipline (e.g., biology) are unaware of potentially useful results obtained in another discipline (e.g., antennas and propagation). This leads to an inefficient use of the accumulated knowledge and unnecessary redundancy in research activities. This book offers the first systematic and unified discussion of light scattering by nonspherical particles and its practical applications and represents the state-of-the-art of this important research field. Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas and cover three major disciplines: theoretical and numerical techniques, laboratory measurements, and practical applications. An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of nonspherical scattering and should be especially useful to beginners and those interested in fast practical applications. The audience for this book will include graduate students, scientists, and engineers working on specific aspects of electromagnetic scattering by small particles and its applications in remote sensing, geophysics, astrophysics, biomedical optics, and optical engineering. The first systematic and comprehensive treatment of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles and its applications Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas Includes a survey of all the relevant literature scattered over dozens of basic and applied research journals Consistent use of unified definitions and notation makes the book a coherent volume An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of light scattering by nonspherical particles Theoretical chapters describe specific easy-to-use computer codes publicly available on the World Wide Web Extensively illustrated with over 200 figures, 4 in color


Book Synopsis Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles by : Michael I. Mishchenko

Download or read book Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles written by Michael I. Mishchenko and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1999-09-22 with total page 721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is hardly a field of science or engineering that does not have some interest in light scattering by small particles. For example, this subject is important to climatology because the energy budget for the Earth's atmosphere is strongly affected by scattering of solar radiation by cloud and aerosol particles, and the whole discipline of remote sensing relies largely on analyzing the parameters of radiation scattered by aerosols, clouds, and precipitation. The scattering of light by spherical particles can be easily computed using the conventional Mie theory. However, most small solid particles encountered in natural and laboratory conditions have nonspherical shapes. Examples are soot and mineral aerosols, cirrus cloud particles, snow and frost crystals, ocean hydrosols, interplanetary and cometary dust grains, and microorganisms. It is now well known that scattering properties of nonspherical particles can differ dramatically from those of "equivalent" (e.g., equal-volume or equal-surface-area) spheres. Therefore, the ability to accurately compute or measure light scattering by nonspherical particles in order to clearly understand the effects of particle nonsphericity on light scattering is very important. The rapid improvement of computers and experimental techniques over the past 20 years and the development of efficient numerical approaches have resulted in major advances in this field which have not been systematically summarized. Because of the universal importance of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles, papers on different aspects of this subject are scattered over dozens of diverse research and engineering journals. Often experts in one discipline (e.g., biology) are unaware of potentially useful results obtained in another discipline (e.g., antennas and propagation). This leads to an inefficient use of the accumulated knowledge and unnecessary redundancy in research activities. This book offers the first systematic and unified discussion of light scattering by nonspherical particles and its practical applications and represents the state-of-the-art of this important research field. Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas and cover three major disciplines: theoretical and numerical techniques, laboratory measurements, and practical applications. An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of nonspherical scattering and should be especially useful to beginners and those interested in fast practical applications. The audience for this book will include graduate students, scientists, and engineers working on specific aspects of electromagnetic scattering by small particles and its applications in remote sensing, geophysics, astrophysics, biomedical optics, and optical engineering. The first systematic and comprehensive treatment of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles and its applications Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas Includes a survey of all the relevant literature scattered over dozens of basic and applied research journals Consistent use of unified definitions and notation makes the book a coherent volume An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of light scattering by nonspherical particles Theoretical chapters describe specific easy-to-use computer codes publicly available on the World Wide Web Extensively illustrated with over 200 figures, 4 in color


Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Author: Michael I Mishchenko

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 1999-09-27

Total Pages: 690

ISBN-13: 9781493301621

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There is hardly a field of science or engineering that does not have some interest in light scattering by small particles. For example, this subject is important to climatology because the energy budget for the Earth's atmosphere is strongly affected by scattering of solar radiation by cloud and aerosol particles, and the whole discipline of remote sensing relies largely on analyzing the parameters of radiation scattered by aerosols, clouds, and precipitation. The scattering of light by spherical particles can be easily computed using the conventional Mie theory. However, most small solid particles encountered in natural and laboratory conditions have nonspherical shapes. Examples are soot and mineral aerosols, cirrus cloud particles, snow and frost crystals, ocean hydrosols, interplanetary and cometary dust grains, and microorganisms. It is now well known that scattering properties of nonspherical particles can differ dramatically from those of "equivalent" (e.g., equal-volume or equal-surface-area) spheres. Therefore, the ability to accurately compute or measure light scattering by nonspherical particles in order to clearly understand the effects of particle nonsphericity on light scattering is very important. The rapid improvement of computers and experimental techniques over the past 20 years and the development of efficient numerical approaches have resulted in major advances in this field which have not been systematically summarized. Because of the universal importance of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles, papers on different aspects of this subject are scattered over dozens of diverse research and engineering journals. Often experts in one discipline (e.g., biology) are unaware of potentially useful results obtained in another discipline (e.g., antennas and propagation). This leads to an inefficient use of the accumulated knowledge and unnecessary redundancy in research activities. This book offers the first systematic and unified discussion of light scattering by nonspherical particles and its practical applications and represents the state-of-the-art of this important research field. Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas and cover three major disciplines: theoretical and numerical techniques, laboratory measurements, and practical applications. An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of nonspherical scattering and should be especially useful to beginners and those interested in fast practical applications. The audience for this book will include graduate students, scientists, and engineers working on specific aspects of electromagnetic scattering by small particles and its applications in remote sensing, geophysics, astrophysics, biomedical optics, and optical engineering. * The first systematic and comprehensive treatment of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles and its applications * Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas * Includes a survey of all the relevant literature scattered over dozens of basic and applied research journals * Consistent use of unified definitions and notation makes the book a coherent volume * An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of light scattering by nonspherical particles * Theoretical chapters describe specific easy-to-use computer codes publicly available on the World Wide Web * Extensively illustrated with over 200 figures, 4 in color


Book Synopsis Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles by : Michael I Mishchenko

Download or read book Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles written by Michael I Mishchenko and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 1999-09-27 with total page 690 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is hardly a field of science or engineering that does not have some interest in light scattering by small particles. For example, this subject is important to climatology because the energy budget for the Earth's atmosphere is strongly affected by scattering of solar radiation by cloud and aerosol particles, and the whole discipline of remote sensing relies largely on analyzing the parameters of radiation scattered by aerosols, clouds, and precipitation. The scattering of light by spherical particles can be easily computed using the conventional Mie theory. However, most small solid particles encountered in natural and laboratory conditions have nonspherical shapes. Examples are soot and mineral aerosols, cirrus cloud particles, snow and frost crystals, ocean hydrosols, interplanetary and cometary dust grains, and microorganisms. It is now well known that scattering properties of nonspherical particles can differ dramatically from those of "equivalent" (e.g., equal-volume or equal-surface-area) spheres. Therefore, the ability to accurately compute or measure light scattering by nonspherical particles in order to clearly understand the effects of particle nonsphericity on light scattering is very important. The rapid improvement of computers and experimental techniques over the past 20 years and the development of efficient numerical approaches have resulted in major advances in this field which have not been systematically summarized. Because of the universal importance of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles, papers on different aspects of this subject are scattered over dozens of diverse research and engineering journals. Often experts in one discipline (e.g., biology) are unaware of potentially useful results obtained in another discipline (e.g., antennas and propagation). This leads to an inefficient use of the accumulated knowledge and unnecessary redundancy in research activities. This book offers the first systematic and unified discussion of light scattering by nonspherical particles and its practical applications and represents the state-of-the-art of this important research field. Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas and cover three major disciplines: theoretical and numerical techniques, laboratory measurements, and practical applications. An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of nonspherical scattering and should be especially useful to beginners and those interested in fast practical applications. The audience for this book will include graduate students, scientists, and engineers working on specific aspects of electromagnetic scattering by small particles and its applications in remote sensing, geophysics, astrophysics, biomedical optics, and optical engineering. * The first systematic and comprehensive treatment of electromagnetic scattering by nonspherical particles and its applications * Individual chapters are written by leading experts in respective areas * Includes a survey of all the relevant literature scattered over dozens of basic and applied research journals * Consistent use of unified definitions and notation makes the book a coherent volume * An overview chapter provides a concise general introduction to the subject of light scattering by nonspherical particles * Theoretical chapters describe specific easy-to-use computer codes publicly available on the World Wide Web * Extensively illustrated with over 200 figures, 4 in color


Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles

Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles

Author: Tom Rother

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-09-19

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 3642367453

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book gives a detailed overview of the theory of electromagnetic wave scattering on single, homogeneous, but nonspherical particles. Beside the systematically developed Green’s function formalism of the first edition this second and enlarged edition contains additional material regarding group theoretical considerations for nonspherical particles with boundary symmetries, an iterative T-matrix scheme for approximate solutions, and two additional but basic applications. Moreover, to demonstrate the advantages of the group theoretical approach and the iterative solution technique, the restriction to axisymmetric scatterers of the first edition was abandoned.


Book Synopsis Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles by : Tom Rother

Download or read book Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles written by Tom Rother and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-09-19 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gives a detailed overview of the theory of electromagnetic wave scattering on single, homogeneous, but nonspherical particles. Beside the systematically developed Green’s function formalism of the first edition this second and enlarged edition contains additional material regarding group theoretical considerations for nonspherical particles with boundary symmetries, an iterative T-matrix scheme for approximate solutions, and two additional but basic applications. Moreover, to demonstrate the advantages of the group theoretical approach and the iterative solution technique, the restriction to axisymmetric scatterers of the first edition was abandoned.


Light Scattering by Non-Spherical Particles

Light Scattering by Non-Spherical Particles

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Light Scattering by Non-Spherical Particles by :

Download or read book Light Scattering by Non-Spherical Particles written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles

Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles

Author: Tom Rother

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2010-04-29

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9783642007613

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Scatteringofelectromagneticwavesonthree-dimensional,dielectricstructures is a basic interaction process in physics, which is also of great practical - portance. Most of our visual impressions are caused not by direct but by scattered light, as everybody can experience of looking directly at the sun. Several modern measurement technologies in technical and medical diagn- tics are also based on this interaction process. Atmospheric remote sensing with lidar and radar as well as nephelometer instruments for measuring s- pended particulates in a liquid or gas colloid are only a few examples where scattered electromagnetic waves provide us with information concerning the structure and consistence of the objects under consideration. Using the inf- mation of the elastically scattered electromagnetic wave is a common ground of most of those measuring methods. The phrase “elastically scattered” - presses the restriction that we consider such interaction processes only where the scattered wave possesses the same wavelength as the primary incident wave. This book addresses this special scattering problem.


Book Synopsis Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles by : Tom Rother

Download or read book Electromagnetic Wave Scattering on Nonspherical Particles written by Tom Rother and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-04-29 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scatteringofelectromagneticwavesonthree-dimensional,dielectricstructures is a basic interaction process in physics, which is also of great practical - portance. Most of our visual impressions are caused not by direct but by scattered light, as everybody can experience of looking directly at the sun. Several modern measurement technologies in technical and medical diagn- tics are also based on this interaction process. Atmospheric remote sensing with lidar and radar as well as nephelometer instruments for measuring s- pended particulates in a liquid or gas colloid are only a few examples where scattered electromagnetic waves provide us with information concerning the structure and consistence of the objects under consideration. Using the inf- mation of the elastically scattered electromagnetic wave is a common ground of most of those measuring methods. The phrase “elastically scattered” - presses the restriction that we consider such interaction processes only where the scattered wave possesses the same wavelength as the primary incident wave. This book addresses this special scattering problem.


Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles

Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles

Author: Schuerman

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1468437046

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume contains most of the invited papers presented at the International Workshop on Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles held on June 5-7, 1979. at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNYA). Over seventy participants representing many dis ciplines convened to define some of the ever-increasing number of resonant light-scattering problems associated with particle shape and to relate their most recent investigations in this field. It is obvious from the two introductory papers that an investi gator's primary discipline determines his/her approach to the light scattering problem. The meteorologist, Diran Deirmendjian, advocates an empirical methodology: to model the scattering by atmospheric aerosols, using equivalent spheres as standards, in the most effi cient and simplest manner that is consistent with remote sensing, in situ, and laboratory· data. Because of the almost infinite variety of particle shapes, he questions not only the possibility but even the usefulness of the exact solution of scattering by a totally arbitrary particle. The astrophysicist, J. Mayo Greenberg, is primarily concerned with the information content carried by the scattered light because this radiation is the sole clue to under standing the nature of interstellar dust. What measurements (polar ization, color dependence, etc ••• ) should be made to best determine a given particle characteristic (size, surface roughness, refractive index, etc ••• )? Thus, he considers the physics of the scattering process to be of paramount interest.


Book Synopsis Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles by : Schuerman

Download or read book Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles written by Schuerman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume contains most of the invited papers presented at the International Workshop on Light Scattering by Irregularly Shaped Particles held on June 5-7, 1979. at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNYA). Over seventy participants representing many dis ciplines convened to define some of the ever-increasing number of resonant light-scattering problems associated with particle shape and to relate their most recent investigations in this field. It is obvious from the two introductory papers that an investi gator's primary discipline determines his/her approach to the light scattering problem. The meteorologist, Diran Deirmendjian, advocates an empirical methodology: to model the scattering by atmospheric aerosols, using equivalent spheres as standards, in the most effi cient and simplest manner that is consistent with remote sensing, in situ, and laboratory· data. Because of the almost infinite variety of particle shapes, he questions not only the possibility but even the usefulness of the exact solution of scattering by a totally arbitrary particle. The astrophysicist, J. Mayo Greenberg, is primarily concerned with the information content carried by the scattered light because this radiation is the sole clue to under standing the nature of interstellar dust. What measurements (polar ization, color dependence, etc ••• ) should be made to best determine a given particle characteristic (size, surface roughness, refractive index, etc ••• )? Thus, he considers the physics of the scattering process to be of paramount interest.


Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles

Author: Gordon Videen

Publisher:

Published: 2000-08

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 9780970231604

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles by : Gordon Videen

Download or read book Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles written by Gordon Videen and published by . This book was released on 2000-08 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Light Scattering Reviews 4

Light Scattering Reviews 4

Author: Alexander A. Kokhanovsky

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-07-25

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 354074276X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This fourth volume of Light Scattering Reviews is composed of three parts. The ?rstpartisconcernedwiththeoreticalandexperimentalstudiesofsinglelightsc- tering by small nonspherical particles. Light scattering by small particles such as, for instance, droplets in the terrestrial clouds is a well understood area of physical optics. On the other hand, exact theoretical calculations of light scattering p- terns for most of nonspherical and irregularly shaped particles can be performed only for the restricted values of the size parameter, which is proportional to the ratio of the characteristic size of the particle to the wavelength?. For the large nonspherical particles, approximations are used (e. g. , ray optics). The exact th- retical techniques such as the T-matrix method cannot be used for extremely large particles, such as those in ice clouds, because then the size parameter in the v- iblex=2?a/???,wherea is the characteristic size (radius for spheres), and the associated numerical codes become unstable and produce wrong answers. Yet another problem is due to the fact that particles in many turbid media (e. g. , dust clouds) cannot be characterized by a single shape. Often, refractive indices also vary. Because of problems with theoretical calculations, experimental (i. e. , la- ratory) investigations are important for the characterization and understanding of the optical properties of such types of particles. The ?rst paper in this volume, written by B. Gustafson, is aimed at the descr- tionofscaledanalogueexperimentsinelectromagneticscattering.


Book Synopsis Light Scattering Reviews 4 by : Alexander A. Kokhanovsky

Download or read book Light Scattering Reviews 4 written by Alexander A. Kokhanovsky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-07-25 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fourth volume of Light Scattering Reviews is composed of three parts. The ?rstpartisconcernedwiththeoreticalandexperimentalstudiesofsinglelightsc- tering by small nonspherical particles. Light scattering by small particles such as, for instance, droplets in the terrestrial clouds is a well understood area of physical optics. On the other hand, exact theoretical calculations of light scattering p- terns for most of nonspherical and irregularly shaped particles can be performed only for the restricted values of the size parameter, which is proportional to the ratio of the characteristic size of the particle to the wavelength?. For the large nonspherical particles, approximations are used (e. g. , ray optics). The exact th- retical techniques such as the T-matrix method cannot be used for extremely large particles, such as those in ice clouds, because then the size parameter in the v- iblex=2?a/???,wherea is the characteristic size (radius for spheres), and the associated numerical codes become unstable and produce wrong answers. Yet another problem is due to the fact that particles in many turbid media (e. g. , dust clouds) cannot be characterized by a single shape. Often, refractive indices also vary. Because of problems with theoretical calculations, experimental (i. e. , la- ratory) investigations are important for the characterization and understanding of the optical properties of such types of particles. The ?rst paper in this volume, written by B. Gustafson, is aimed at the descr- tionofscaledanalogueexperimentsinelectromagneticscattering.


Light Scattering From Micrometric Mineral Dust and Aggregate Particles

Light Scattering From Micrometric Mineral Dust and Aggregate Particles

Author: Llorenç Cremonesi

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-09-24

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 3030567877

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Light scattering from particles in the nanometric and micrometric size range is relevant in several research fields, such as aerosol science and nanotechnology. In many applications, the description of the optical properties of non-spherical, inhomogeneous particles is still inadequate or requires demanding numerical calculations. Lorenz–Mie scattering and effective medium approximations represent currently the main theoretical tools to model such particles, but their effectiveness has been recently called into question. This work examines how the morphology of a particle affects its scattering parameters from an experimental standpoint, supporting findings with extensive simulations. The dust content of Antarctic, Greenlandic, and Alpine ice cores is analysed with a particle-by-particle approach. Moreover, a study on colloidal aggregates shows that correlations among the fields radiated by primary particles are responsible for the poor agreement of effective medium approximations with experimental results. On the theoretical side, an interpretation in terms of the structure factor is given, which satisfactorily describes the data. The insights of this thesis are relevant for quantifying the contribution of mineral dust to the radiative energy balance of the Earth.


Book Synopsis Light Scattering From Micrometric Mineral Dust and Aggregate Particles by : Llorenç Cremonesi

Download or read book Light Scattering From Micrometric Mineral Dust and Aggregate Particles written by Llorenç Cremonesi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Light scattering from particles in the nanometric and micrometric size range is relevant in several research fields, such as aerosol science and nanotechnology. In many applications, the description of the optical properties of non-spherical, inhomogeneous particles is still inadequate or requires demanding numerical calculations. Lorenz–Mie scattering and effective medium approximations represent currently the main theoretical tools to model such particles, but their effectiveness has been recently called into question. This work examines how the morphology of a particle affects its scattering parameters from an experimental standpoint, supporting findings with extensive simulations. The dust content of Antarctic, Greenlandic, and Alpine ice cores is analysed with a particle-by-particle approach. Moreover, a study on colloidal aggregates shows that correlations among the fields radiated by primary particles are responsible for the poor agreement of effective medium approximations with experimental results. On the theoretical side, an interpretation in terms of the structure factor is given, which satisfactorily describes the data. The insights of this thesis are relevant for quantifying the contribution of mineral dust to the radiative energy balance of the Earth.