Integrating polarized light over a planetary disk applied to starlight reflected by extrasolar planets

Details Integrating polarized light over a planetary disk applied to starlight reflected by extrasolar planets Integrating polarized light over a planetary disk applied to starlight reflected by extrasolar planets

Jun 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006a%26a...452..669s&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 452, Issue 2, June III 2006, pp.669-683

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

17

Methods: Numerical, Polarization, Radiative Transfer, Stars: Planetary Systems

Scientific paper

We present an efficient numerical method for integrating planetary radiation over a planetary disk, which is especially interesting for simulating signals of extrasolar planets. Our integration method is applicable to calculating the full flux vector of the disk-integrated planetary radiation, i.e. not only its observed flux (irradiance), but also its state of polarization (linear and circular). Including polarization is important for simulations of the light reflected by a planet, in particular, because this will generally be polarized. Our integration method is based on the expansion of the radiation field of a spherical, horizontally homogeneous planet into generalized spherical functions. With the expansion coefficients, the flux vector of the disk-integrated, reflected starlight can be obtained rapidly for arbitrary planetary phase angles. We describe the theory behind the disk-integration algorithm and results of accuracy tests. In addition, we give some illustrative examples of the application of the algorithm to extrasolar planets.

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