Statistical modeling of the depolarizing properties of optically dense dispersive systems in the small-angle scattering mode of probe light propagation

Results of statistical modeling of the polarization degree decay in the case of forward propagation of a linearly polarized laser beam in multiple scattering dispersive systems are presented. Disordered ensembles of dielectric spherical particles with various values of the wave parameter are considered as these dispersive systems. The modeling algorithm is based on an iterative transformation of the Jones vectors for partial components of the multiple scattered light fields in the considered systems due to random sequences of scattering events; the transformation procedure is provided using the Monte-Carlo simulation. The average number of scattering events corresponding to the $1/e$ decay of the polarization degree, and the ratio of the depolarization length to the mean transport free path of probe light in the scattering systems are considered as the key parameters. It was found that the maximal depolarization length is achieved in the case when the wave parameter of scattering particles is close to the value corresponding to the first Mie resonance of the dependence of the scattering efficiency on the wave parameter. The modeling results are compared to the experimental and theoretical data obtained using a hybrid approach in the framework of the diffusion approximation of radiative transfer theory.