Role of packing density and spatial correlations in strongly scattering 3D systems

Discrete random media have been investigated extensively over the past century due to their ability to scatter light. Even so, the link between the three-dimensional (3D) spatial distribution of the scattering elements and the resulting opacity is still lively debated to date due to different experimental conditions, range of parameters explored, or sample formulations. On the other hand, a unified numerical survey with controlled parameters has been impractical up to date due to the sheer computational power required to address samples with representative size. In this work, we exploit a graphics processing unit implementation of the T-matrix method to investigate the complete range of particle volume concentration and packing-induced spatial correlations, allowing us to reveal and elucidate a twofold role played by spatial correlations in either enhancing or suppressing opacity. By applying these findings to the illustrative case of white paint, we determine the optimal combination of density and spatial correlations corresponding to the highest opacity. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement