Influence of the Complex Refractive Index of Underwater Suspended Particles on the Transmission Characteristics of Polarized Light

The effects of different complex refractive indices of underwater suspended particles on the polarization characteristics of forward and backward scattering of polarized photons are analyzed by simulation experiments to study the transmission characteristics of polarized light as influenced by underwater suspended particles. The Mie scattering theory is used to establish the scattering model of underwater photon transmission. The Mueller matrix and Meridian Planes Monte Carlo method are adopted to simulate the process of photon radiation transmission in the scattering medium. Simulation results show that the polarization degree of the scattered linearly polarized light is less affected than the scattered circularly polarized light by the refractive index parameter in the scattering system. As the absorption coefficient increases, the polarization-maintaining ability of the forward scattered linearly polarized light is enhanced, whereas the degree of circular polarization of the backward scattered circularly polarized light is periodically changed.