Effect of Microsphere Concentration and Size in Compacts on Terahertz Scattering

Scattering of terahertz beams by inhomogeneous materials, as measured using time-domain spectroscopy, is a phenomenon of great interest because it is related to structural elements in a sample, e.g. particle size in a powder compact. In this study we investigate the effects of both size and concentration of scattering centres on the refractive index and loss coefficient of compacts. The study is performed on specially fabricated compacts consisting of borosilicate glass microspheres in a PTFE matrix, concentrations were prepared using a range of microsphere sizes and concentrations.