Light attenuation through turbid slabs calculated by solutions of the Maxwell equations

We implemented a two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the calculation of the scattering by turbid slabs containing cylindrical scatterers. We present validation results of the FDTD method used for the calculation of the scattering by an infinite dielectric cylinder. In particular the error caused by numerical dispersion due to an expansion of the simulation grid is discussed. Finally, an analytical solution of the scattering by an infinite cylinder has been used to analyze the error caused by the discrete near- to far-field transformation.