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Modeling the radiative transfer properties of media containing particles of moderately and highly elongated shape
Author(s) -
Schulz F. M.,
Stamnes K.,
Stamnes J. J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1998gl900184
Subject(s) - sphericity , radiance , aspect ratio (aeronautics) , radiative transfer , polarization (electrochemistry) , axial ratio , shape factor , prolate spheroid , degree of polarization , materials science , particle size , range (aeronautics) , physics , molecular physics , particle (ecology) , optics , computational physics , geometry , circular polarization , scattering , classical mechanics , chemistry , mathematics , composite material , microstrip , oceanography , geology
The transfer of polarized radiation in a medium containing size‐shape distributions of randomly oriented nonspherical particles is modeled by employing a prolate spheroidal particle model. The parameter characterizing the mean departure from sphericity of the shape‐distribution is the effective aspect ratio of the particle ensemble. The radiance, the degree of linear polarization and the degree of circular polarization are strongly sensitive to a variation of the effective aspect ratio. This shape‐sensitivity is observed consistently from size‐shape distributions containing mainly moderately aspherical particles to those containing predominantly highly aspherical particles. When the effective aspect ratio varies between 4 and 12, the degree of linear polarization changes by as much as 0.15. At certain angles from the sun, the radiance changes by as much as 60% within the same range of effective aspect ratios.