Improved algorithm for electromagnetic scattering of plane waves and shaped beams by multilayered spheres

An efficient numerical procedure for computing the scattering coefficients of a multilayered sphere is discussed. The stability of the numerical scheme allows us to extend the feasible range of computations, both in size parameter and in number of layers for a given size, by several orders of magnitude with respect to previously published algorithms. Exemplifying results, such as scattering diagrams and cross-sectional curves, including the case of Gaussian beam illumination, are provided. Particular attention is paid to scattering at the rainbow angle for which approaches based on geometrical optics might fail to provide accurate enough results. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.