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The orientation of scatterers in noctilucent clouds
Author(s) -
Gadsden M.
Publication year - 1983
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/gl010i009p00889
Subject(s) - orientation (vector space) , geology , nucleation , cloud computing , brownian motion , physics , geometry , geodesy , mathematics , computer science , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , operating system
The scatterers which make up a noctilucent cloud have masses sufficiently small (< 10 −14 kg) that they will show considerable Brownian agitation. The paths of the scatterers, as they fall from the region in which nucleation is occurring to the base of the cloud, will be irregular; their orientation, if the scatterers are nonspherical, will be continually changing direction. There will be no preferred orientation and all directions will be equally likely. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the assembly of scatterers cannot show a preferred direction of axial orientations when the assembly is studied by observing light scattered from it.