Computer Science
Scientific paper
Sep 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001sosyr..35..390p&link_type=abstract
Solar System Research, v. 35, Issue 5, p. 390-399 (2001).
Computer Science
5
Scientific paper
Optical observations of comets and atmosphereless celestial bodies show that a change of sign of the linear polarization of scattered light from negative to positive at phase angles less than ~20° is typical of the cometary coma, as well as of the regolith of Mercury, the Moon, planetary satellites, and asteroids. To explain a negative branch of polarization, this research suggests a unified approach to the treatment of cometary-dust particles and regolith grains as aggregate forms. A composite structure of aggregate particles resulting in the interaction of composing structural elements (monomers) in the light-scattering process is responsible for the negative polarization at small phase angles, if the monomer sizes are comparable to the wavelength. The characteristics of single scattering of light calculated for aggregates of this kind turned out to be close to the properties observed for cometary dust. Unlike the cometary coma, the regolith is an optically semi-infinite medium, where the interaction between particles is significant. To find the reflectance characteristics of regolith, the radiative-transfer equation should be solved for a regolith layer. In this case, the interaction between scatterers can be modeled to a certain extent by representing the regolith grains as aggregate structures consisting of several or many elements. Although real regolith grains are much larger than the particles considered here, laboratory measurements have shown that it is precisely the surface irregularities comparable to the wavelength that cause a negative branch of polarization. The main observed features of the phase and spectral dependence of the linear polarization of light scattered from comets and atmosphereless celestial bodies, which are due to the difference of the elementary scatterers in composition, size, and structure, can be successfully explained using the aggregate model of particles.
Jockers Klaus
Kiselev Nikolai N.
Petrova Elena V.
No associations
LandOfFree
A Negative Branch of Polarization for Comets and Atmosphereless Celestial Bodies and the Light Scattering by Aggregate Particles does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A Negative Branch of Polarization for Comets and Atmosphereless Celestial Bodies and the Light Scattering by Aggregate Particles, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A Negative Branch of Polarization for Comets and Atmosphereless Celestial Bodies and the Light Scattering by Aggregate Particles will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1163058