Abstract

A theoretical model is presented for computing the radiation-induced orientation of nonspherical particles in the atmosphere. This process is examined as a possible remote-sensing technique for determining size and shape characteristics of atmospheric aerosols. The theoretical model is applied to cirrus particles modeled as prolate dielectric spheroids. The radiation-induced perturbations in the average tip angle of the spheroids and in the backscattered depolarization ratio are computed for an assumed radiation flux of 5 mJ/cm² for three different wavelengths. The computed perturbations are found to be approximately 30–40 dB down from the corresponding unperturbed values and appear marginally detectable by ground-based lidars.

© 1991 Optical Society of America

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