Measurements of the Optical Scattering Properties of Single Suspended Particles and Implications for Atmospheric Studies: A Review

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the technological developments in polarized laser single particle measurement technology (PLSMT), as well as the results and findings obtained by PLSMT in field observations and laboratory studies. This overview of the measurement methods, theoretical simulations, and data mining emphasizes the importance of exploring future prospects for the application of PLSMT in atmospheric research.

In recent years, the advancement of theoretical simulation methods and instrument measurement techniques has led to the application of PLSMT in the study of dust aerosols, anthropogenic pollution aerosols, atmospheric ice crystals, and bioaerosols. Moreover, researchers have achieved promising results in areas such as air quality modeling and forecasting, large-scale dust transport processes, cloud microphysical processes, and fine aerosol identification using observation data obtained from PLSMT. PLSMT enhances our understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols.

Atmospheric aerosols play a crucial role in various physical and chemical processes, and their properties are influenced by their morphology and chemical composition. The optical scattering method is a classical approach for determining the size of atmospheric aerosols, and the morphology of particulate matter can be determined based on the polarization distribution of backscattered light (90–180°). PLSMT, which was developed based on the optical scattering method, is an efficient in situ detection technique for determining the particle size and mixing state of aerosols.