Effect of turning of rays on scattering of light in a layered medium

The problem of the scattering of light by random inhomogeneities in a layered medium whose characteristic scale is large compared to the wavelength of light is considered. The attention is mainly focused on the effect that the turning of incident and scattered waves has on light scattering in such a medium. In the mixed (q⊥, z) Fourier representation, expressions for normal waves, and Green’s function are found, which can be used both far from the turning point, where the fields are described in the WKB approximation, and near this point, where the fields are described using the Airy function. Based on these expressions and using the Kirchhoff method, a general expression for the scattering intensity in the far field of the sample is obtained, which takes into account the turning of the incident and scattered waves in the fluctuating medium. Physical consequences of the calculation results are analyzed. In particular, it is shown that even a comparatively small gradient of the refractive index in the layer leads to a rather appreciable redistribution of the scattering intensity between the forward and backward hemispheres. In this case, the shape of the scattering indicatrix is rather exotic with sharp discontinuities, peaks, and dips whose amplitude is on the order of the intensity itself.