Study on morphological analysis of suspended particles using single angle polarization scattering measurements

• Published in: Journal of quantitative spectroscopy & radiative transfer 2019-02, Vol.224, p.556-565
• Main Authors: Chen, Yuerong, Zeng, Nan, Chen, Sirui, Zhan, Dongjian, He, Yonghong, Ma, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Mueller matrix; Particle morphology; Polarization scattering; Suspended particles
• ISSN: 0022-4073; 1879-1352
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2018.12.006

•The selection of polarization character based on theoretical simulations of polarization scattering processes of particles with various morphological types.•A prototype for field test of air pollutants and experiments for single component and two-component particles with different shape feature.•Experimental results indicate that the selected polarization character is reliable for particle classification and also verify the effectiveness of our theoretical calculations.•The preliminary results of field test in a real air quality monitoring system. Morphology analysis plays an important role in particle characterization applied in air quality evaluation, cell classification and marine microbial diversity research. Polarization status of light scattered by particulates with irregular shapes can be used as a sensitive index to identify the morphological information and then applied in classification, identification and even source apportionment of suspended particles. In this article, we analyze the influence of particle morphology on Mueller matrix and then propose one polarization parameter to investigate its feasibility in recognizing anisotropic particles. Based on theoretical calculations of angular spectrum of polarization scattering by ellipsoidal and fibrous scatterers, we establish the corresponding experimental setup and extract the polarization signals by real suspended particle samples. The agreement between our simulation and experiments confirm the potential of the polarization parameter to identify the anisotropic particles and then present an effective demonstration of differentiating particle morphology using polarization measurements. These preliminary research works also imply a future way of polarization analysis applied in air pollutants monitoring.