Application of the T-Matrix Method to Light Scattering from a Leaf

The T-matrix method describes the interaction of electromagnetic waves with arbitrarily shaped targets using an integral form of Maxwell’s equations. After estimation of single-scattering albedo, the imaginary part of the refractive index (k) and polarization curves for a cotton leaf were generated using the T-matrix model assuming two different types of scattering centers, one based on chloroplasts, and another based on the smaller grana stacks within chloroplasts. An independent estimate for k using the Kramers-Kronig relation yielded results similar to light scattering from grana-sized particles. The banding of polarization curves (-F₁₂/F₁₁) suggests that the nearly featureless region of light transmission and reflectance in leaves between 1–1.5 microns may be due to the damping of the natural oscillations of atoms due to the influence of polarization.