Light transmission through dense packings of glass spheres

Abstract

Despite the great number of studies concerning the propagation of light through random media, the exact way it propagates through dense translucent granular systems is still an open problem. Here, we are interested in the transmission of light through disordered packings of glass spheres. We use monodisperse systems with different diameters and propagate intense ultraviolet light through them. By measuring the outcome of the light signal with a calibrated radiometer and by using radiochromic films to get the radiation pattern, we found two different modes of transport: one entirely diffusive and the other non-diffusive.