Diffusion of the lidar beam seen from the receiver

We study the diffusion of the lidar laser beam in a cloud as it is seen from the receiver. We consider two different types of clouds: an aerosol cloud consisting of randomly oriented oblate spheriods and an ice cloud consisting of randomly oriented oblate cylinders. We calcluate the off-axis diffusion which could be a measured by multiple field of view lidar with circular field stops and the diffusion of the beam in the plane perpendicular to its direction which could be measured by a CCD type device. The simulations were done with or our variance reduction multiple scattering including polarization which is equivalent to a corresponding vector radiative transfer equation and a time continuous Markovian jump process for the description of the transport of light through the atmosphere. The results of these simulations of the off-axis and the planar diffusion are striking: they allow for a simple classification of scattering particles.