T-matrix representation of optical scattering response

Suggestion for a data format

authored by: Nigar Asadova, Karim Achouri, Kristian Arjas, Baptiste Auguié, Roland Aydin, Alexandre Baron, Dominik Beutel, Bernd Bodermann, Kaoutar Boussaoud, Sven Burger, Minseok Choi, Krzysztof M. Czajkowski, Andrey B. Evlyukhin, Atefeh Fazel-Najafabadi, Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton, Puneet Garg, David Globosits, Ulrich Hohenester, Hongyoon Kim, Seokwoo Kim, Philippe Lalanne, Eric C. Le Ru, Jörg Meyer, Jungho Mun, Lorenzo Pattelli, Lukas Pflug, Carsten Rockstuhl, Junsuk Rho, Stefan Rotter, Brian Stout, Päivi Törmä, Jorge Olmos Trigo, Frank Tristram, Nikolaos L. Tsitsas, Renaud Vallée, Kevin Vynck, Thomas Weiss, Peter Wiecha, Thomas Wriedt, Vassilios Yannopapas, Maxim A. Yurkin, Grigorios P. Zouros
Abstract: The transition matrix, frequently abbreviated as T-matrix, contains the complete information in a linear approximation of how a spatially localized object scatters an incident field. The T-matrix is used to study the scattering response of an isolated object and describes the optical response of complex photonic materials made from ensembles of individual objects. T-matrices of certain common structures, potentially, have been repeatedly calculated all over the world again and again. This is not necessary and constitutes a major challenge for various reasons. First, the resources spent on their computation represent an unsustainable financial and ecological burden. Second, with the onset of machine learning, data is the gold of our era, and it should be freely available to everybody to address novel scientific challenges. Finally, the possibility of reproducing simulations could tremendously improve if the considered T-matrices could be shared. To address these challenges, we found it important to agree on a common data format for T-matrices and to enable their collection from different sources and distribution. This document aims to develop the specifications for storing T-matrices and associated metadata. The specifications should allow maximum freedom to accommodate as many use cases as possible without introducing any ambiguity in the stored data. The common format will assist in setting up a public database of T-matrices.
Organisation(s): Nanoengineering
External Organisation(s): Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Aalto University
Victoria University of Wellington
Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)
Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB
Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB)
Pohang University of Science and Technology
University of Warsaw
TU Wien (TUW)
University of Graz
Institut d'Optique Graduate School (IOTA)
Purdue University
Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM)
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Universite d'Aix-Marseille
Universidad de La Laguna
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Universite de Toulouse
University of Bremen
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
University of Rouen Normandy
Type: Article
Journal: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
Volume: 333
No. of pages: 27
ISSN: 0022-4073
Publication date: 03.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Radiation, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Spectroscopy
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.10727 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2024.109310 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{c8c11473c03142f1bafef34ed7ff98c6,
title = "T-matrix representation of optical scattering response: Suggestion for a data format",
abstract = "The transition matrix, frequently abbreviated as T-matrix, contains the complete information in a linear approximation of how a spatially localized object scatters an incident field. The T-matrix is used to study the scattering response of an isolated object and describes the optical response of complex photonic materials made from ensembles of individual objects. T-matrices of certain common structures, potentially, have been repeatedly calculated all over the world again and again. This is not necessary and constitutes a major challenge for various reasons. First, the resources spent on their computation represent an unsustainable financial and ecological burden. Second, with the onset of machine learning, data is the gold of our era, and it should be freely available to everybody to address novel scientific challenges. Finally, the possibility of reproducing simulations could tremendously improve if the considered T-matrices could be shared. To address these challenges, we found it important to agree on a common data format for T-matrices and to enable their collection from different sources and distribution. This document aims to develop the specifications for storing T-matrices and associated metadata. The specifications should allow maximum freedom to accommodate as many use cases as possible without introducing any ambiguity in the stored data. The common format will assist in setting up a public database of T-matrices.",
keywords = "Data format, Data Science, Data storage and management, Multipolar representations, Scattering, T-matrix",
author = "Nigar Asadova and Karim Achouri and Kristian Arjas and Baptiste Augui{\'e} and Roland Aydin and Alexandre Baron and Dominik Beutel and Bernd Bodermann and Kaoutar Boussaoud and Sven Burger and Minseok Choi and Czajkowski, {Krzysztof M.} and Evlyukhin, {Andrey B.} and Atefeh Fazel-Najafabadi and Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton and Puneet Garg and David Globosits and Ulrich Hohenester and Hongyoon Kim and Seokwoo Kim and Philippe Lalanne and {Le Ru}, {Eric C.} and J{\"o}rg Meyer and Jungho Mun and Lorenzo Pattelli and Lukas Pflug and Carsten Rockstuhl and Junsuk Rho and Stefan Rotter and Brian Stout and P{\"a}ivi T{\"o}rm{\"a} and Trigo, {Jorge Olmos} and Frank Tristram and Tsitsas, {Nikolaos L.} and Renaud Vall{\'e}e and Kevin Vynck and Thomas Weiss and Peter Wiecha and Thomas Wriedt and Vassilios Yannopapas and Yurkin, {Maxim A.} and Zouros, {Grigorios P.}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s)",
year = "2025",
month = mar,
doi = "10.48550/arXiv.2408.10727",
language = "English",
volume = "333",
journal = "Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer",
issn = "0022-4073",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",
}