Oblique laser transmission and scattering characteristics of multilayer ice-water mixed clouds based on the successive scattering method

Clouds are widely distributed in the atmosphere, which is an important factor affecting the laser engineering application. In the paper, we developed a scattering transmission model of laser light in multilayer ice-water mixed clouds for applications in laser communication, laser detection, and laser weapons. Based on the successive scattering method, the direct transmission and first-order scattering of the laser between an aircraft and a target are numerically calculated in different cloud structures. The effects of the vertical structure of the clouds and the position of the aircraft and the target on the laser scattering are analyzed. The results show that the direct transmission can always have minimal and maximal values at the bottom and top of the clouds, respectively, while the peak of the first-order scattering appears near the top of the clouds. Compared to ice clouds, water clouds will produce a huge attenuation of the laser transmission. Our results can provide theoretical guidance for engineering applications in the real cloud environment.