Optics on a fractal surface and the photometry of the regoliths

Physics – Optics

Scientific paper

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Astronomical Photometry, Celestial Bodies, Fractals, Regolith, Solar System, Two Dimensional Models, Geometrical Optics, Light Scattering, Planets, Regolith, Surface, Photometry, Techniques, Model, Scattering, Simulation, Fractal Methods, Reflectance, Parameters, Satellites, Rhea, Atmosphereless Bodies, Comparison, Diffraction, Optical Properties, Brightness, Calculations, Phase Angle, Albedo, Structure, Geometry, Shadow, Moon, Mercury (Planet), Asteroids, Ceres, Vesta, Titania

Scientific paper

The light scattered by a rough surface is calculated in a model where the surface is simulated by a mathematical fractal of dimension (D(H) between 2 and 3) and fractal density in the projected area towards the observer rho(H) (rho(H) between 0 and 1). The reflectance on such a surface is calculated in the special case of a 'hemispherical' fractal, in both the geometric optics approximation and a more general diffraction regime. By using a two-parameter phase function (single scattering albedo omega-sub-0 and asymmetry parameter g-sub-0), and including multiple scattering, this four-parameter model is found to reproduce within a good accuracy the phase function of several classes of atmosphereless bodies in the solar system, in good agreement with previous photometric models. The main effect of the diffraction is to reduce the width of the opposition surge by roughly a factor of 2. Another prediction of the model is that the single-scattering contribution due to the fractal part of the surface can be reduced, for nonzero phase angle, to an arbitrarily small amount, for high enough fractal dimension and density. This effect could give a new interpretation of the strong opposition effect observed on some objects, and also of the very low brightness of many solar system bodies.

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