Electromagnetic field calculations for a sphere illuminated by a higher-order Gaussian beam. II. Far-field scattering

A previously developed theoretical procedure for determination of electromagnetic fields associated with the interaction of a higher-order Gaussian beam with a homogeneous spherical particle is used to investigate the effects of incident beam type on far-field scattering. Far-field scattering patterns are calculated ibr (0,0), (0,1), and (1,1) mode Hermite-Gaussian beams and for the helix doughnut mode beam. The effects of incident beam type on the angular distribution of far-field scattering, for both on-sphere-center and off-sphere-center focusing, are examined. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.