Computations of scattering matrices of four types of non-spherical particles using diverse methods

The scattering matrix as a function of scattering angle has been computed for four different homogeneous particles: a prolate spheroid, an oblate spheroid, a finite cylinder and a bisphere with touching components. The directions of the incident and scattered light beams, as well as the rotation axis of each particle, lie in the same plane. The particles considered have the same refractive index, volume and orientation of the rotation axis with respect to the incident light. The computations were performed with the (superposition) T-matrix method, the separation of variables method for spheroids and the discrete-dipole approximation. The results are presented in the form of tables and graphs. Their usefulness as benchmark results and some other aspects are also discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd