The accuracy of the DDA (Discrete Dipole Approximation) method in determining the optical properties of black carbon fractal-like aggregates

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) particles are a product of incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels. One of the possibilities of studying the optical properties of BC structures is to use the DDA (Discrete Dipole Approximation) method. The main goal of this work was to investigate its accuracy and to approximate the most reliable simulation parameters. For the light scattering simulations the ADDA code was used and for the reference program the superposition T-Matrix code by Mackowski was selected. The study was divided into three parts. First, DDA simulations for a single particle (sphere) were performed. The results proved that the meshing algorithm can significantly affect the particle shape, and therefore, the extinction diagrams. The volume correction procedure is recommended for sparse or asymmetrical meshes. In the next step large fractal-like aggregates were investigated. When sparse meshes are used, the impact of the volume correction procedure cannot be easily predicted. In some cases it can even lead to more erroneous results. Finally, the optical properties of fractal-like aggregates composed of spheres in point contact were compared to much more realistic structures made up of connected, non-spherical primary particles.