Scattering of polarized Gaussian light by a spheroidal particle

Light scattering by a small particle can produce light with polarization characteristics different from those of the incident beam. In this article, we studied the polarized Gaussian beam scattered by a spheroidal particle within the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory framework. A theoretical procedure is given to expand an incident Gaussian beam in terms of spheroidal vector wave functions. We studied the single scattering properties of a single spheroidal particle with varying aspect ratios and size parameters. Exact analytic solutions are obtained for computing the amplitude matrix and single scattering Muller matrix for a single spheroid with normal illumination. The Muller scattering matrix elements of a single spheroid are compared between plane wave and Gaussian light beam as incident light source.