Radiative transport theory for light propagation in luminescent media.

We propose a generalization of radiative transport theory to account for light propagation in luminescent random media. This theory accounts accurately for the multiple absorption and reemission of light at different wavelengths and for anisotropic luminescence. To test this theory, we apply it to model light propagation in luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). The source-iteration method is used in two spatial dimensions for LSCs based on semiconductor quantum dots and aligned nanorods. The LSC performance is studied in detail, including its dependence on particle concentration and the anisotropy of the luminescence. The computational results using this theory are compared with Monte Carlo simulations of photon transport and found to agree qualitatively. The proposed approach offers a deterministic methodology, which can be advantageous for analytic and computational modeling. This approach has potential for more efficient and cost-effective LSCs, as well as in other applications involving luminescent radiation.