###### Abstract
There are several benefits of applying VLC-based technologies in UM, such as unclicensed spectrum usage capacity ranging from 400 THz to 800 THz, cost versatility for VLC system components, environmental friendliness, and immunity to electromagnetic interference [8]. In terms of the VLC system and its elements, the basic components of a VLC system for any type of environment are (a) Light-emitting diodes (LED), which are made up of cold light, and form lamps with a long useful life. The LED lamps can be located on the ceiling or walls of the UM tunnels. (b) Photo-Diodes (PDs) that could be installed in machinery, devices that need to be controlled, or the helmet of the mining worker. This scenario creates a VLC link between devices or workers and the mining infrastructure, or also between devices, which favors the design of multiple applications [9]. (c) The channel model, which is an important step for an efficient, reliable, and robust VLC system design [10]. According to the specialized literature, with the process of modeling the communication channel realistically and efficiently, the overall performance of the communication system can be improved [11]. Furthermore, adequate modeling ensures a correct approach and contextualization of the problems that may arise in communication systems [7]. Specifically for VLC systems applied to underground mines, a VLC channel model that considers the physical characteristics that affect UM tunnels was proposed [12]. Here, the random orientation of optical transmitters and receivers, which impact directly the Line-of-Sight (LoS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) components, were considered in the mathematical model. In addition, the characterization of non-flat walls in tunnels and their reflection effects on the optical signal were considered. Finally, a shadowing pattern that considers the entry of objects into the UM tunnel and a scattering model based on a random distribution of dust particles around the PD on a 2D disk was considered. In indoor environments such as offices, homes, or hospitals, the effect that suspended dust particles can generate on the optical links is neglected. Consequently, VLC systems applied to these scenarios do not compromise their performance due to the scattering phenomenon. In contrast, in UM environments, drilling and rock excavation work produce a large amount of suspended dust. Therefore, it is a major challenge to efficiently model the scattering effect and include it in the overall UM-VLC channel model. It should be noted that the scatterer distribution model used in [12] is easy to develop and implement. However, it was presented as an initial basic model that must be improved to make it more realistic. Since scatterers are considered multi-path components in the UM-VLC channel model, the received multi-path signal plays an important role in VLC system performance analysis. Therefore, the development of more realistic scatterer distribution models around the behavior of the dust particles in the tunnel must be analyzed and studied. This will allow us to make the channel model presented in [12] more accurate and realistic in its representation of the UM tunnel. In the following subsections, we first discuss various models of general scatterer distributions based on stochastic geometry proposed in the state of the art. Then, studies of the effects and influence of dust particles on the optical signal applied to several VLC systems are presented.