Effect of experimental parameters on optimal reflection of light from opaque media

Previously we considered the effect of experimental parameters on optimized transmission through opaque media using spatial light modulator (SLM)-based wavefront shaping. In this study we consider the opposite geometry, in which we optimize reflection from an opaque surface such that the backscattered light is focused onto a spot on an imaging detector. By systematically varying different experimental parameters (genetic algorithm iterations, bin size, SLM active area, target area, spot size, and sample angle with respect to the optical axis) and optimizing the reflected light we determine how each parameter affects the intensity enhancement. We find that the effects of the experimental parameters on the enhancement are similar to those measured for a transmissive geometry, but with the exact functional forms changed due to the different geometry and the use of a genetic algorithm instead of an iterative algorithm. Additionally, we find preliminary evidence of greater enhancements than predicted by random matrix theory, suggesting a possibly new physical mechanism to be investigated in future work.