Lesson3.ppt.pptVIP

Lesson 3 METO 621 Basic state variables and the Radiative Transfer Equation In this course we are mostly concerned with the flow of radiative energy through the atmosphere. We will not cover polarization effects in any detail. This is known as the scalar approximation, in contrast with the vector description. Of central importance is the scalar intensity. Its specification as a function of position, direction, and frequency conveys all of the desired information about the radiation field (except for polarization). Geometrical optics The basic assumptions of the radiative transfer theory are the same as those for geometrical optics. The concept of a sharply defined pencil os radiation was first defined in geometrical optics. A radiation pencil is obtained when light emitted from a point source passes through a small hole in an opaque screen. We can view this pencil by allowing it to fall on a second opaque screen. An examination of this spot of light shows that its edges are not geometrically sharp, but consist of a series of bright and dark bands. These bands are called diffraction fringes. Picture of diffraction fringes Geometrical optics The size of the region over which these bands occur is of the order of the wavelength of the light. If the diameter of the pencil is much larger that the wavelength of the light then the diffraction effects are small and can be ignored. The propagation can then be described in purely geometrical terms. These rays are not necessarily straight. In general they are curves whose direction is determined by the gradient of the refractive index of the medium. In this course we will assume that the index of refraction is constant and ignore it. Geometrical optics For our purposes it is convenient to replace the concept of a pencil ray with the concept of incoherent (non-interfering) beams of radiation A beam is defined in analogy with a plane wave. It carries energy in a specific direction and has infinite extension in the transverse