Abstract. The effect of polydispersity on extinction cross sections is studied for a particle system composed of coated, spherical particles. Aden - Kerker equations, governing the light-scattering behaviour of the system, are formulated in a way that makes them more suitable for computation purposes. Differences found between light scattered by non-absorbing and highly absorbing particles show the importance of using accurate refractive indices, especially when dealing with their imaginary part, which accounts for absorption.

Print publication: Issue 15 (7 August 1997)
Received 23 January 1997, in final form 18 April 1997