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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

Backscattering by hexagonal ice crystals of cirrus clouds.

Anatoli Borovoi¹, Alexander Konoshonkin, Natalia Kustova

¹V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia. borovoi@iao.ru

|August 2, 2013

Summary

Light backscattering from cirrus cloud ice crystals was analyzed. Researchers found a specific hollow in the depolarization ratio for long hexagonal columns near the backward direction.

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Area of Science:

Atmospheric optics
Cloud physics
Light scattering

Background:

Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals and significantly impact Earth's radiative budget.
Understanding light scattering by these crystals is crucial for climate modeling and remote sensing.
Previous studies have focused on various crystal shapes and orientations, but fine angular structures require detailed investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate light backscattering by randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals in cirrus clouds.
To analyze the fine angular structure of Mueller matrix elements near the backward direction.
To derive and discuss an approximate equation for the differential scattering cross section and its spectral dependence.

Main Methods:

Application of the physical-optics approximation for light scattering calculations.
Detailed computation of Mueller matrix elements in the vicinity of the backward direction.
Derivation of an approximate equation for the differential scattering cross section.

Main Results:

The fine angular structure of Mueller matrix elements near the backward direction was calculated and discussed.
A simple spectral dependence of the differential scattering cross section was obtained.
A distinct hollow in the linear depolarization ratio was observed around the exact backward direction for long hexagonal columns.

Conclusions:

The physical-optics approximation provides detailed insights into light backscattering by cirrus ice crystals.
The derived approximate equation offers a simplified way to understand spectral dependencies.
The revealed hollow in depolarization ratio is a characteristic feature for specific ice crystal habits (long hexagonal columns) and can be used for remote sensing applications.