Structure of a modulated narrow light beam in seawater: Monte Carlo simulation

Dispersion properties of photon density waves propagating in seawater from a unidirectional point source have been studied using the Monte Carlo technique. It is shown that the spatial distribution of irradiance of the photon density waves at high modulation frequencies is significantly different from that of the stationary light field. Principal dispersion effects predicted earlier in the approximation solutions of the nonstationary radiation transfer equation are confirmed. An increase in the wave decrement and a decrease in the transversal cross section of the initially narrow beam at the modulation frequency with the increase of the modulation frequency are demonstrated. Frequency dependencies of phase and group velocities of photon density waves are calculated. It is shown that seawater possesses anomalous dispersion in a wide frequency range with respect to these waves.