Surface reflections and optical transport through random media: Coherent backscattering, optical memory effect, frequency, and dynamical correlations

The effects of internal surface reflections on the transport of optical waves through random media are considered theoretically. Simple closed-form expressions for both transmission through and reflection from a finite slab are obtained for the following phenomena: the coherent backscattering of light, the form factors of the optical memory effect, the frequency-dependent correlation functions of static systems, the time-dependent correlation functions of dynamic systems, and the diffuse reflectance and transmittance. In every instance surface reflections are found to cause significant, sometimes dominant, effects under realistic experimental conditions. Good agreement is found between the theory and recent experiments for the optical memory effect.