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Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

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Michael I Mishchenko¹

¹NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2880 Broadway, New York, New York 10025, USA. mmishchenko@giss.nasa.gov

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, Image Science, and Vision

|November 28, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The extinction cross section sum rule, derived from questionable causality, lacks rigorous proof from fundamental electromagnetic scattering principles. This widely cited rule is likely an unproven hypothesis, not a first-principles outcome.

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Area of Science:

Electromagnetism
Theoretical Physics
Optical Science

Background:

The sum rule for extinction cross section is frequently cited in scientific literature.
Existing derivations rely on heuristic causality considerations, not direct macroscopic Maxwell equations.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the theoretical foundation of the extinction cross section sum rule.
To determine if the sum rule can be rigorously derived from first principles of electromagnetic scattering.

Main Methods:

Analysis of existing derivations of the sum rule.
Examination of the link between causality considerations and electromagnetic scattering theory.
Comparison with fundamental electromagnetic scattering principles.

Main Results:

The sum rule is not directly derived from macroscopic Maxwell equations.
The causality considerations used in its derivation are deemed questionable.
The rule does not fundamentally follow from the concept of electromagnetic scattering by a particle.

Conclusions:

The extinction cross section sum rule should be regarded as an unproven hypothesis.
A rigorous first-principles derivation of the sum rule is currently lacking.