Abstract
view Abstract Citations (28) References (18) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Polarization in reflection nebulae. II. Reflection of light from thick slabs. White, R. L. Abstract The reflection of polarized light from an optically thick slab of dust has been theoretically calculated, including all four Stokes parameters and multiple-scattering effects. The circular polarization of the reflected light is small, but the linear polarization is large despite significant multiple scattering. The variation of the reflected light with variations of the dust properties and the star-slab geometry is discussed, and a simple method for determining the star-slab geometry from polarization measurements with very few assumptions about the dust-scattering properties is presented. Also discussed are the properties of the light reflected from nebulae made of the dust mixture which Mathis, Rumpl, and Nordsieck found to provide the best fit to the observed interstellar extinction. The Appendix briefly describes one method for treating optically thick dust clouds with complicated geometries, and presents some results for scattering from optically thick spheres and toroids. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: May 1979 DOI: 10.1086/157067 Bibcode: 1979ApJ...230..116W Keywords: Cosmic Dust; Interstellar Matter; Nebulae; Optical Polarization; Optical Reflection; Polarized Light; Circular Polarization; Light Scattering; Linear Polarization; Optical Thickness; Astrophysics; Polarization:Reflection Nebulae full text sources ADS |
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