LMI Seminar: From Scattered Light to Layered Structure: IMOP for Characterization of Opaque Media

Abstract:

Opaque multilayer media appear across a wide range of optical and material systems, from coated surfaces and composite structures to stratified scattering materials. Their internal layer structure often strongly affects optical response, yet direct characterization typically requires destructive sectioning, prior knowledge of the sample, or access to multiple measurement modalities. In this talk I will present IMOP - Iterative Multi-plane Optical Properties Extraction, an optical approach for the noninvasive characterization of multilayer opaque media. The method uses measured light response to infer hidden structural properties of layered systems, treating the sample as an inverse optical problem rather than as an object requiring direct access. I will discuss the physical motivation behind the method, the modeling assumptions that make the reconstruction possible, and the type of information that can be extracted from scattering-dominated measurements. The talk will emphasize the broader light-matter interaction perspective: how internal structure is encoded in externally measured optical signals, what limits the recoverable information, and how inverse modeling can turn apparently diffuse or opaque responses into quantitative structural insight.