We obtain useful information from the intensity autocorrelations of light scattered from systems which exhibit strong multiple scattering. A phenomenological model, which exploits the diffusive nature of the transport of light, is shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental data for several different scattering geometries. The dependence on geometry provides an important experimental control over the time scale probed. We call this technique diffusing wave spectroscopy, and illustrate its utility by studying diffusion in a strongly interacting colloidal glass.

• Received 26 October 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.60.1134