Numerical calculation of light scattering from a layered sphere by the boundary-element method

It is demonstrated in the present investigation that the scattering from a layered (i.e., coated) sphere can be calculated numerically by application of the boundary-element method both inside and outside the sphere. A homogeneous sphere is treated first to prove that the computer algorithm is correctly applied, and then the same procedure is followed to deal with a coated sphere. A three-layered sphere will admit of similar treatment, but that is not demonstrated in this study. The scattering intensities from a homogeneous sphere, obtained numerically, are shown to agree well with the analytical Mie solution. It is expected that the calculation algorithm of the analytical Mie-type solution can be improved with the help of the present numerical method. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.